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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1994)
October 27 MW r ning/THE BAnAU« as an early g Page 1 1 things are slower than nd that until i care of, stu- ? escort ser- by the Corp ind Hotard y awareness oosed a list of s areas that ate lighting, sted were sev- reas, all bus rch park, ite business, a luced recom- ^ministration lification and > for students i egister in the | i catalog, le procedure i in the spring atalog. ie, the only nts to learn ;edure is by ent workers the filing ap- student I.D. svilion. I the form i out by the ;tudent’s em- irned to the Nov. 8. • preregistra- must work kM Student to pro- wide joy ■ hell outta tad, ...pot- ?s in that •uthwest of n." udent Senate resolution "hursday • October 27, 1994 : ■ • ' l/i The Battalion Sticking pins in \<3odoo myth Mysterious Haitian religion possesses 'power of spirits' FRANK STANFORD Columnist W arning;: The following column contains I everything you wanted to know about the practice of Voodoo, but were afraid to ask. And if you’re afraid to read it, I’ll put a spell on {you. Vodun or “Voodoo” is the | government recognized religion of Haiti. It exists all over the Caribbean nations as well as Louisiana I and some small areas in other Southern states. But what is it, I and how did it get there? Well, back in the days of pirates and slave trading, many I Africans were shipped to the French island of Haiti as slaves. All they brought with them was their African religion. France, being a Catholic nation, sent missionaries to convert the slaves to Catholicism, but this attempt was a big flop and from it | Haitian Voodoo was bom. Voodoo is a “metaphysical” or “spiritual” rather than a I “dogmatic” religion. This means there isn’t much distinction between mortal and divine beings. All people and things are spirits which can transform into each other during “possession.” When spiritually possessed, one becomes a god - a necessary occurrence in order to worship. And, unlike the more familiar religions, there aren’t any particular books or rules. Instead, spirits or “loas” are the central figures of worship and the [reasons for everything that happens. People serve and bargain with loas on a daily basis to unite | with them. Many of these spirits and ideas have familiar Catholic representations. For instance, Voodoo also has J‘baptism” and Saint Patrick is identified with the snake loa. In ■ Voodoo philosophy, the two planes of the physical and the j metaphysical (spiritual) pass through each other instead of I being parallel and separate. So, when introduced, the Christian cross was adopted as the symbol for this “crossroads” of planes and is prominent on the Voodoo flag. There is no concept of sin in Voodoo. Because bad deeds hurt [only one’s fellow man, he is the only one who needs an apology. But as in all societies, there is still an important moral code. Regulation of social and moral behavior occurs through “taboos” that are linked to ancestral values and traditions. For instance, murder, theft and incest are big taboos. As generations pass YeutVQ MA*Ji " f CAA/ You BXPLAffs/ WHY Yeti \ Carry/wg a J Page 11 and change, so may some taboos. For this reason Voodoo is considered a “living” religion instead of a “preserved” one. Everything and everyone is sacred in Voodoo. All that exists in nature is unified by the sharing of similar elements. This web of unity promotes the sanctity of life, but more importantly, the sanctity of the spirit of the life. There are two types of spirits that inhabit a person in Voodoo. The first, “Gro-bon-ange”, is most similar to a “soul.” When someone dies it leaves the body, passes through several stages where it may assume the status of a loa (spirit) and becomes part of some moral principle. The “Ti-bon—ange” is the impersonal cosmic consciousness that everyone has. Upon death, this spirit becomes reusable and rejoins the cosmic forces. Both of these spirits are released at death and go to work for the good of the community. They receive gifts during rituals in return. Rituals are performed for a number of reasons such as sick babies, the deaths of loved ones, or even positive events. These Voodoo ceremonies promote communication with the spirits through a priest or “mambo” (priestess). It’s quite a party by our standards. People gather and play music to the beat of large drums while others dance and sing. Rum is splashed (offered) onto the ground and an animal is sacrificed for the spirits. Black and yellow candles are lit to create smoke in which the loas appear and are interpreted by the priest or priestess (Voodoo has no sexual discrimination). Usually these ceremonies will go on all night - sometimes for days - depending on the current need. The scary part of this religion is the Voodoo Doll stuff. This is a minor aspect of Voodoo similar in spookiness to Exorcism in Catholicism. As explained to me in Haiti, when someone thinks another person has wrongfully taken their place in some capacity, with a job or a lover etc., a photo or some hair can be given to a priest or priestess along with about $3.15 and a hex will be placed on the culprit. The doll helps as a representation in some cases and whether or not it actually works is subject to scrutiny to say the least. In fact, I’m beginning to think mine is defective. So, as you can see, Voodoo is not evil or scary. It is simply a religion that is no different for those who practice it than your religion is to you. Frank Stanford is a philosophy graduate student V To ScRoci. 0G.N/AS£ The Battalion Editorial Board Belinda Blancarte, Editor in chief Mark Evans, Managing editor Jay Robbins, Opinion editor Jenny Magee, Assistant opinion editor Editorials the views of the edi? necessarily reflect Battalion staff members, student body, regents, administra or staff. Columns, guest i letters express the opinions of the authors. Contart the Second class majors Liberal arts majors miss out on job search aid Liberal Arts majors deserve more job placement and interview opportunities to help them secure good jobs for their future careers. Texas A&M has always been considered superior in several areas of academia including engineering and animal sciences. Students graduating in these areas usually end up with high paying, satisfying jobs. These students are usually helped tremendously by the University to get these positions. However, it seems that those students majoring in Liberal Ants are often overlooked. They are not provided the same opportunities as engineering, medical, law or business majors when it comes to assistance in their job searches. While Liberal Arts students are provided with some interviewing, career advising services, orientations and workshops, they do not receive as many on-campus interview sessions and are not able to take advantage of the point system offered to other majors, including business and engineering students. The point system allots students 200 points which they can use to bid for company interviews. Students receive 100 points for signing up and 100 more for attending an orientation. This bidding system gives students an opportunity to learn about a wide variety of companies. Liberal Arts students should have a similar system available for their use. The College of Liberal Arts and the Career Center are aware of the problems facing Liberal Arts students and are making efforts to provide them with more opportunities. However, simply trying will not result in more or better jobs. In addition, some majors, particularly the college of engineering, sponsor more career fairs and offer interview pre-selection. Students send resumes to the placement center and companies review them and decide what students they are interested in interviewing with. Texas A&M may not be known for its Liberal Arts College, but that doesn’t mean it’s all right for its students to be ignored. They work just as hard as students in any other major, and their course loads are just as demanding. The bottom line is that more should be offered to Liberal Arts students in terms of aiding their job search. They are some of the brightest, most creative students at this University who do not, by any means deserve to be the underdog. Authors use ‘intelligent’ study to reach dumb conclusion W hites are smarter than blacks. It’s empirically proven. That’s the argument that Charles Murray and Richard Hermstein offer in their new, controversial book “The Bell Curve,” reviewed recently by Newsweek. Murray and Hermstein argue that intelligence is determined by genetics, not environment. They say that intellectual inferiority alone leads to lower social classes and social problems like crime, poverty, welfare dependency and illegitimacy. The crux of Murray and Hermstein’s theory is that no amount of educational or social reform can help lower-class people. They are destined to a life of poverty and disadvantage due to a lower average IQ. The “eugenics movement” of the 1920s and 30s was a similar phenomenon, according to Newsweek. Eugenicists favored selective breeding of desirable population groups. The “superior” Aryan race advocated by the Nazi party, and their persecution of Jews, Catholics and Gypsies is a particularly salient example of this eugenicism. A related Newsweek article, seeking to test the validity of Murray and Hermstein’s argument, repeatedly mentioned Arthur Jensen. He was a Berkeley psychologist who became famous after publishing an article in 1969 that argued that poor results of programs like Head Start were at least a partial result of race-based differences in IQ. What the article failed to tell readers was that LYNN BOOHER Illlillliiiiii Columnist .mmmL. Jensen recanted his argument after studying a group of black children in Savannah, Georgia. When he noticed that their IQs were | steadily decreasing with age, it suddenly seemed that an environmental factor like accumulated racism might be the cause instead. Murray and Hermstein have no problem spewing forth seemingly infinite social facts. It is true that the mean, or average IQ for the black population is 15 points lower than the mean for the white population. These statistics have been available for some years and are mentioned several times in the Newsweek articles. What Murray and Hermstein fail to address is the internal validity of their data. Internal validity refers to whether it is possible to pin a cause on one particular variable or whether there might be possible alternative explanations. They make a dangerous assumption in claiming that lower IQ scores cause poverty, crime and other social problems. It is just as plausible to suggest that the social problems cause lower IQs, via poorer living conditions, inferior schools and educational opportunities and daily stress resulting from living in a dangerous, crime-ridden environment. It’s also possible that prejudice against minorities has created these problems while IQ is irrelevant. It appears that another social psychology theory is applicable here. It is something called “learned helplessness,” meaning that when people are convinced they can’t do something, either by a failure or being told they’re not good enough, they quit trying. It’s entirely possible that middle-class white children are told by teachers, parents and society that they will succeed in school. And it seems obvious that expectations for lower-class minorities aren’t nearly as high. They make a dangerous assump tion in claiming that lower IQ scores cause poverty, crime and other social problems. Interestingly, the Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science, a high school in the South Bronx, has taken groups of kids who were written off as future drop outs and turned them into college candidates. It seems awfully strange that their IQs would have KSBRH ■mi rvv-w^ Dinner turns sour with Sbisa Yell on the menu As I entered Sbisa dining hall on Fri day, I was dismayed to find my ears as saulted by obnoxious and badly sung chants advocating hatred and violence. Yes, it was Sbisa yell, just another one of those annoying things that the bonfire crew undertakes. Now, this exactly NOT the kind of thing we want promoted at our University. I go to Sbisa once a day to relax, attempt to enjoy my food, and think about my day. This is difficult enough to do under the normal conditions at the dining hall, but these activities be come almost impossible to do when a hundred or more smelly, vulgar and par ticularly loud individuals who shout about beating the hell outta this and “fight, fight, fight” that. There should be some sort of regulation against this activ ity within the confines of our dining halls. Shane Wells Class of ’9 7 Unsubstantiated facts dress up perceptions We are writing in response to Aja Henderson’s Oct. 19 column First, we would like to congratulate Henderson on a well-written and thoughtful arti cle. However, we must take issue with her statement of “the way things are.” Henderson took great pains to explain the difference between facts and per ceptions. Unfortunately, she is appar ently confused about these concepts herself. We question the source of the “statement of fact” that white women have reaped the most benefits from af firmative action. Without statistical or other support, this “statement of fact” sounds suspiciously like Hender son’s perception of affirmative ac- tion.We would appreciate it if Hender son would reveal the source of her in formation. If this is indeed a reality, then by gosh, sign us up as three increased by so much in just four years of schooling. Their improvement points to an external cause for higher intelligence test performance. Murray and Hermstein’s propositions offer a bleak future for us. They propose that many minorities are destined to be intellectually and socially inferior. Their scientific efforts are likely flawed by a poorly-hidden political agenda. The Newsweek article states that a major theme of “The Bell Curve” is an “attack on affirmative action.” Obviously, if one were interested in ending this social reform, there would be no better way to go about it than to suggest that blacks are intellectually inferior to whites. Frighteningly, Murray and Hermstein’s book simultaneously confirms white supremacist’s beliefs while providing another reason for blacks to doubt their abilities. Rather than determining that IQ score gaps are inherent and unchangeable and that those who are privileged are smarter, we should focus on changing the environment of less-privileged people for the better. Hostos in the South Bronx proved it can be done. And whatever happens, let’s hope that this one small step by Murray and Hermstein doesn’t prove to be a giant leap backward for mankind. » mm& mammmmmm mmmmmmm Lynn Booher is a junior English and psychology major white women in need of a little affir mative action. Joan Baker Graduate Student Accompanied by 2 signatures The Battalion encour ages letters to the editor and will print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the au thor's name, class, and phone number. We reserve the right to edh letters for length, style, and accuracy. Address letters to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University CoBege Station, TX 77843-1111 Fax; (409) 845-2647 E-mail: 8att@tamvm1 .tamu.edu