Tuesday, March 22, 1994
The Battalion Editorial Board
K:
JULI PHILLIPS, Editor in chief
MICHAEL PLUMER, Managing editor KYLE BURNETT, Aggielife editoi%
BELINDA BLANCARTE, Night news editor DENA DIZDAR, Aggielife editor
HEATHER WINCH, Night News editor SEAN FRERKING, Sports editor
TONI GARRARD CLAY, Opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, Photo editc
JENNIFER SMITH, City editor
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Whitewater mess
Investigation mired in confusion
The truth, the truth, my king
dom for the truth. Since the very
beginning of the Whitewater in
quiries, the airwaves and news
papers have been inundated with
shocking revelations of deceit
and political dishonesty — com
pletely foreign ideas to any
politician. Unfortunately, despite
all of the information being pre
sented to the American public,
no one really understands what
Whitewater is about.
Members of Congress from
both parties are calling for hear
ings to determine whether there
is the need for an investigation
into the level of Bill and Hillary
Clinton’s involvement in the real
estate fiasco. Although the effort
to find the truth is admirable,
this case is better suited for an
agency such as the IRS to handle.
Some critics argue that the
hearing is necessary because the
Clintons may have overstated the
amount of money they lost in
the deal and possibly lied on
their taxes as well. If this theory
is true, then it seems all the
more inappropriate for anything
other than a regular government
agency to be the sole investiga-
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9
Equal time for opinionated females
Male journalists receive inordinate percentage of print
ERIN
HILL
Columnist
li
tor.
The most difficult aspect of
this whole case is that no one
has thei complete story, as each
group of critics seems to focus
on one part of it. The result is a
dozen different stories and a
truckload of opinions, most of
which are completely irrelevant
to the issue.
When Congress is placed in
charge, with its vested interest
in the findings of an investiga
tion that could be potentially
damaging to the careers of the
opposition, the risk of sensa
tionalism increases dramatically.
No one is against the idea of an
investigation, but why bother to
have one if the facts are going to
get lost in a sea of finger point
ing?
As it stands now, the manner
in which Whitewater is being
handled does nothing except
weaken public faith in the in
tegrity of the governmental
process. Politicians are once
again proving that if a situation
is being turned around, misdi
rected or misunderstood, then
the government is probably in
volved.
n 1992, “Crossfire” presented a meager 5 5 fe
male guests, as opposed to 440 male guests.
.During one month of that year, only 16 per
cent of the opinion articles at the New York
Times and 1 3 percent of the opinion pieces at the
The Washington Post were written by women.
At the The New Republic, 14 percent of the con
tributors were females.
Interestingly enough, the opinion staff of
The Battalion is 50 percent female, and its edi
torial board has six women and five men. Texas
A&M aside, a bias against female opinions exists
in the media, which keeps women out of the
hot seat far too often.
Many women view society and life through a
personal lens in opinion writing and some jour
nalistic power brokers claim this personal tpne
is justification for leaving them out, as though
personal translates to worthless.
Anna Quindlen, of the New York Times,
writes to much acclaim about her children and
family, as does Ellen Goodman. Personal does
not have to mean worthless. Too often, howev
er, if one of these women is syndicated, the
other isn’t. There just isn’t enough room on an
opinion page for more than one mother it
seems.
Women are also accused of only talking
about their bodies and feelings. While some
women writers do talk about these things, it can
be said that men engage in the same type of di
alogue. For example, the dispute over gays in
the military focused on the “feelings” of mili
tary personnel about open homosexuality in
their barracks and “feelings” about showering
with gay soldiers. Yet women writing about is
sues that affect women’s bodies, such as rape,
are sometimes dismissed as non-mainstream.
Lest we blame this void of female voices
completely on the established patriarchy of
journalism, however, we must realize that not
as many women apply, submit or write opin
ionated articles as men. An imbalance is there,
but not to the tune of 440 to 55, the “Cross
fire” figure mentioned earlier.
Why do fewer women feel the urge to slug it
out in a ring of national debate? Perhaps, the
imbalance is there because women are trained
to use “feminine” speech which steers them
clear of “nasty” arguments. We’re taught to be
considerate of other’s feelings, a good thing on
the persona] level, but an obstacle if carried too
far.
National media is a harsh place, especially
for female writers. A woman’s sexuality and
femininity are often attacked when she offers
opinions, as we can learn by observing the
treatment of prominent female non-writers.
Kay Bailey Hutchison was portrayed as a
shrew because she is a tough boss. Hillary Rod
ham Clinton has been accused of being a lesbian
because she is an intelligent female who speaks
her mind. Geraldine Ferraro was called a bitch
for the same reasons, and other women are at
tacked in a similar fashion.
Even Naomi Wolf, a feminist writer who
believes a bias in the media exists, indicts
Jeanne Kirkpatrick’s writing because it is "...
uninflected by the experiences of the female
body.”
Such a direct attack on Kirkpatrick’s style is at
best hypocritical — at worst, downright mean.
It seems then women too are guilty of attacking
the person, not the opinion.
The trend of labeling all opinionated women
as radical, hostile feminists or limiting them to
maternal issues fosters an environment in which
women are cautious for fear of not being taken
seriously.
Then what do women want, you beg to
know, if they don’t want to be called radical
feminists or labeled as “sweet”?
This may sound shocking, but some women
are radical feminists and don’t mind being la
beled as such. Some hate men, some don't. Some
write about personal experiences, others avoid
those topics. And sometimes it isn’t anyone’s
business — listen to what is said, then form an
opinion.
Women want to be taken seriously.
Women do not want to be packaged, labeled
and disregarded.
Women want to be themselves, to prove
themselves, to be considered.
To do so, more women must stand up, speak
out and take the heat. At Texas A&M this should
start in the classroom. Women must form and de
fend opinions, and not be afraid of speaking up.
If we keep talking, sooner or later the world
will listen.
Erin Hill is a senior English major
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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 letters to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald
Mail stop 1111
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843
Fax: (409) 845-2647
Shopping styles differ vastly along great gender divide
P roblem: Cris needs a new pair of blue
jeans. Solution: Cris drives to the
nearest mall and walks into the first
dothing store. Cris quickly finds the correct
color and size, pays cash for the purchase
and is home in 3 0 minutes.
Question: What sex is Cris?
The average reader has already deducted
that Cris is male. It’s easy. All die clues are in
the above sentences.
Clue #1: Cris went shopping alone.
Women never go shopping alone; they al
ways travel in packs.
Clue #2: Cris went to the nearest mall.
Women always go to largest mall within a
200-mile radius.
Clue #3: Cris walked into the first cloth
ing store he came to and bought what he
needed. Yes, women go into the first store
they come to. They also go into second,
third, fourth, fifdi and sixth stores they see.
Then they return to the first store to buy the
exact pair of jeans they first picked up.
Clue #4: Cris did not try on the jeans be
fore making his purchase. No woman in the
history of the earth has ever purchased an ar
ticle of clothing without first trying it on and
looking at it from all sides in a three-way
mirror.
Clue #5: Cris paid cash. Women do not
like cash. Paying for a pair of jeans with a $50
bill means they are really spending $50. They
like those little plastic cards where no real
money changes hands. That way they never
translate purchase dollars into real dollars.
Clue #6: Cris is back home in 30 minutes.
Women shop in terms of hours, not minutes.
“Shop till you drop” is their national anthem.
Clue #7: Cris only bought what he went
after, nothing else. Women go to the mall
Three reasons for
reading The Battalion
:30
:30
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I read The Battalion for three reasons.
One: to catch up on major news. Two: to
check up on the activity schedules for or
ganizations. Three: to hopefully learn to
take a new perspective on an issue (or be
entertained) by columns on the Opinion
page.
If the Batt keeps columns like Frank Stan
ford’s on the meaning of life and Lynn
Booher’s on gender equality, I’ll keep on
reading. If the Batt continues to put out un
researched, poorly written, unoriginal
columns like those by Dave Winder — his
column about writing a column was partic
ularly “stupid” — I won’t waste my time.
I encourage anyone who has any re
motely interesting or insightful ideas for a
column to write in as a guest. If I have to
come across another column that’s so ob
viously a desperate attempt to fill space
with nonsense; it won’t happen a third
time. So please, someone, give A&M qual
ity columns.
Mary Matella
Class of ‘96
Flag more important
than leaking sewage
Texas A&M administrators need to get
their priorities straight. Early on the morning
of Feb. 21, a group of Class of ‘97 Mclnnis
Madmen raised a flag on an unused flag pole
for blue jeans, fmd super sales, and come
home with things like red shoes, wedding
gowns, grand pianos, refrigerators and major
league baseball teams.
In case you think I’m exaggerating about
the way women shop, let me tell you about a
few true experiences.
When I was a salesclerk at Foot Locker, I
would have guys walk in and buy a pair of
$ 125 Air Jordans widiout even trying them
on. But I would also have women come in
and try on a $1.99 pair of ankle socks even
though they were wearing a pair just like
them.
Last November my aunt and her daughter
drove from Nacogdoches to Houston, got on
an airplane and flew to Minneapolis, Min
nesota, to the biggest mall in the United
States to do their Christmas shopping. For my
uncle’s birthday I think the plan is to fly to
Samoa to get his presents.
My friend has the worst buying problem I
have ever seen, though. She likes to go into
the dollar stores and buy stuff that she has ab
solutely no use for. One time she bought two
pair of baby booties because the price was so
on the north side of campus. The flag was
made of 4-by-6-foot purple material with
white lettering sewn on it. One side read,
“McINNIS MADMEN,” and the other read
“CLASS OF ‘97.” The flag flew harmlessly and
undisturbed for several hours as a symbol of
dorm spirit.
Around 9 a.m., several A&M employees
began trying to remove it; however, the
Mclnnis Madmen greased the pole to foil any
attempts at removing the flag. Finally, some
time after 10 a.m., the Physical Plant brought
in a cherry picker along with about 15 em
ployees who stood around doing nothing and
ripped the flag down. So the Texas A&M ad
ministration dropped all other projects and in
about five hours had the Mclnnis flag down.
I am a Mclnnis resident, and on March 1, I
put in a work order to have my toilet fixed
because it was leaking raw sewage all over the
bathroom floor. Over a week later, no one
had been out to check the problem nor had I
heard from maintenance.
It seems the Texas A&M administration has
their priorities out of order. It took half a day
for them to take the Mclnnis Flag down that
was hurting no one, but my toilet that is leak
ing raw sewage and mildewing my carpet
gets no attention.
Mike Stewart
Class of ‘97
My friend has the worst
buying problem I have ever
seen. She bought two pair
of baby booties because the
price was so low. At the
time she was not pregnant.
low. At the time she was not pregnant, no
body she knew was pregnant, in fact she did
n’t even have a boyfriend but she bought
them anyway. Her reasoning was, “Someday
I’m going to have children and they’re going
to need booties. So I decided to buy them
now because I doubt booties are ever going
to be this cheap again.”
My mom talks about looking for sales bar
gains the way her brother talks about stalking
prey with a rifle. My worst childhood memo
ries center around being dragged from store
to store in crowded malls.
Me (age 3): “Mom, how much longer are
we going to be here? I want to go home.”
Physical Plant fails
to seek others’ advice
The behind-closed-doors decisions for
our campus never cease to amaze me. The
new windows for the Academic Building
are a prime example of how students and
former students have no influence on what
is done to our campus.
Yes, I strongly agree that it is time to
change the deteriorating 80-year-old
frames. I fully understand how the Physical
Plant wants windows that require less main
tenance. David Godbey said, (Jan. 6 article)
“We selected them (windows) on the basis
of aesthetics.”
Aesthetics is defined as “dealing with
aesthetics or the beautiful.” Godbey obvi
ously doesn’t know the definition because
the new windows don’t fall into the catego
ry of aesthetically pleasing. I never ever
want to hear the quote, “the new windows
will fit in with the other buildings on cam
pus” again.
How can this quote ever make any
sense? Practically every old building we
have left on this campus has had its original
windows changed to the hideous dark an
odized aluminum with tinted glass win
dows. These windows go together with
Mom: “David, I just want to look at one
more store to see if they have what I want.”
Me: “You enter one more store I’m going
to throw the worst temper tantrum this
world has ever seen.”
Mom: “If you’re nice. I’ll buy you an ice
cream cone.”
Me: “You got 20 minutes, 25 if it’s
chocolate-chocolate chip.”
Today I consider myself the average male
shopper. Last week I bought two pairs of
shorts (one black, one brown) and two shirts
(one plaid, one maroon). I drove 12 miles to
the nearest mall. I went to one store where 1
got exactly what I wanted. I paid cold, hard
cash. I was back home watching the NCAA
basketball tournament in less than 3 0 min
utes.
Of course you can guess which sex the
store owners like to see coming through the
doors. If males made all the family purchases,
malls would have to close by 2 p.m. and lock
the doors on weekends.
Dave Winder is a sophomore journalism major
newer architecture but in no way with ar
chitecture of the past.
Physical Plant needs to take off its
blinders and see that changing windows
on a building doesn’t match architecture;
it changes it! Windows like the originals
with all the detail could have been or
dered in anodized white aluminum and
would definitely not be turning back the
clock to 1912.
I wish everyone would remember that
the Academic Building was erected upon
the ashes of Old Main (the first building on
campus) which burned to the ground on
the night of May 27, 1911. This is one of
the three oldest buildings on our campus
and remains a focal point of the campus.
Whenever I walk past the Academic Build
ing and see Sulky’s statue I feel the pride in
being an Aggie. For some reason, I feel
someone trying to tarnish my pride when
decisions like this are made.
The windows were decided by a small
group of people that would not listen to
students, former students or even the His
toric Preservation Department of the College
of Architecture. This is an age of preserva
tion and not destruction, and some people
need to see the light.
Mark E. Bames
Class of ‘94