NION
The Battalion • Page 5
Thursday • July 27, 1995
[Blind acceptance of phrases, norms obscures truth
Kyle
Littlefield
Asst. Opinion
Editor
other day I was trying to
explain how much fun I
_JL had on a recent trip, when
I used the phrase, “I had a field
pay.”
And then I realized I didn’t
£ven know what that phrase
gneant.
I knew what it meant in the
Sfcontext of what I was trying to
Say, but I didn’t understand why it meant what it
lid.
This puzzled me a bit, so I began to be more ob
servant to see if others used similar phrases whose
leanings perplexed me.
Sure enough, I heard a friend who was having a
Lifficult time answering a question say, “I’m draw-
ig a blank.”
And then my observance began to plague me. I
>egan to analyze many things I said or heard oth
ers say.
I described a bad day as having gone “haywire.”
Someone warned others to take the factual con
sent of the Internet with “a grain of salt.”
I overheard another person say that their intern
ship gave them the chance to “learn the ropes.”
A frustrated student “drew the line” at having
three tests in one week.
Phrases such as these usually are not taught in
schools. We learn them through hearing others
speak — and although the true meanings are un-
,known to us, the context into which they fall allows
^s to understand what the speaker means.
Why did I feel perfectly comfortable
with using these words to explain my
thoughts when I really had no idea what
they really meant?
It is called blind acceptance, and it is
not exclusive to language.
When a couple marries, it is taken for
granted that the woman take the man’s
last name. But why? I know a guy who
took his wife’s last name.
How many times have you arrived to your next
class to find other students sitting down outside the
door? You assume the door is locked, as do they, but
along comes another student who tries the door and
finds it unlocked. Those who were waiting outside
feel pretty stupid.
This way of thinking is second nature to hu
mans.
Maybe that’s why Mom and Dad are always rep
rimanding you by asking, “If your friends all
jumped off a cliff, would you?”
Well, in a sense we all have “jumped off similar
cliffs” at one time or another — even Mom and Dad.
A school rich in tradition such as Texas A&M is
a good example.
Students are encouraged to stay off the grass
sunrounding the Memorial Student Center. Be
cause the building is a memorial to Aggies who died
defending this country, it is respectful to steer clear
of the grass and remove one’s hat while inside.
But what makes the removal of a hat or not
walking on grass in situations like this respectful?
“It’s just something you do. It has always been
done that way,” someone might say.
If you don’t know the answer, you are accepting
this “norm” blindly.
Take a show like “Rush Limbaugh,” for example.
Many viewers perceive the the words of Limbaugh
as the words of God.
It wasn’t until I tuned in to see what all of the
“hubbub” was about when I heard him say, “the
only thing beautiful about a tree is found after it is
cut down.”
I thought of all the “Ditto” bumper stickers of the
many people who let Limbaugh dictate their stance
on issues and concluded that if they believed that,
Limbaugh is an even better liar than Hitler was.
Talk about blind acceptance — possibly the scari
est example of what believing everything told to
you can do is the Nazi holocaust.
I’m sure if the German masses really knew
Hitler’s true motives, they would not have support
ed him so religiously.
We accept many things at face value, such as
language, common practices and norms and what
others tell us.
While the true meanings of phrases may be triv
ial, going along with the crowd can be dangerous.
It isn’t always easy to question what “has always
been.” Those who raise these types of questions
aren’t always too popular.
Both Columbus and Galileo questioned popular
belief. And both were ridiculed. But if you accept
things blindly, you may never know the real truth.
Kyle Littlefield is a senior journalism major
Common phrases and what
they originally meant:
• "To go haywire" refers to the process of bounding hay in the
1 820s. The hay was wrapped in stiff wire that easily became
tangled, and would cause machinery to malfunction.
• "Take with a grain of salt" refers to the ancient practice of
eating a questionable dish only if it was sprinkled with salt.
• "Knowing the ropes" is an old sailing term. Because ships
had many ropes to position the sails, sailors really had to
"know the ropes."
• "Drawing the line" is related to the sport of tennis. Before
official rules were established players would draw their own
lines, signifying their limits.
• "Egging one on" has nothing to do with eggs. The Anglo-
Saxon word for spear-point, was "ecg." Used to urge prisoners
to move faster, they "ecg"ed them on. When the phrase was
heard by English-speaking peoples, it evolved into "egg."
• "Going against the grain" is a woodshop term. Certain types
of wood splinter more easily if cut against the grain. Also,
wood becomes smoother if sanded in the direction of the
grain.
Some examples taken from I've Got Goosepimples by
Marvin Vanoni.
essons in the often-confusing game of love
Quatro
Oakley
Staff Writer
’odern relationships
have silently become
.contemporary rites of
passage into adulthood.
Courtship is essentially
training for marriage, and even
with all of its pitfalls, it sure
beats the hell out of your par
ents finding a mate for you.
Besides, you’ve seen the people you
mother thinks you should date.
The following is an overview of five basic
types of relationships every person can ex
pect to eventually encounter. Incidentally,
various combinations are possible, and I
feel for you if you’ve gone through them.
Your First Love
We’ve all been through this one already.
You’re young. You’re naive. You’re full of
raging hormones.
To you, this is not some “puppy love” in
fatuation like you had back in junior high.
You’re honestly thinking about spending
the rest of your life with this person.
Wrong.
Your significant other usually doesn’t
have a clue about your feelings toward
them — you’re too busy making out with
them to ever talk.
When they finally decide to leave you —
and they will— it’s usually for someone who
they “can relate to better.” And it hurts.
The first break-up is tough, but somehow
you survive. There’s still a plethora of
heartaches lying ahead of you.
The Rebound
For some reason, you figure the best way
to get over your “ex” is to dive directly back
into the dating pool.
Of course, no matter who you meet, that
person will always pale in comparison to
your last flame — who you’re still hung up
bn, even though you won’t admit it.
Consequently, you end this re
lationship abruptly, claiming
that, “it’s not really what you’re
looking for right now.”
In addition, when you are unwar
ily on the receiving end of this kind
of relationship — i.e., the soon-to-be
dumpee — you never really see the
break-up coming for some reason.
After you get ditched, though, you’ll
eventually learn to ask beforehand whether
or not the person you are dating is on the
rebound. It’s just safer.
The Just For Fun Relationship
By now, you’re indignant toward this
whole “serious relationship” thing altogeth
er and decide to adopt the old adage/lie that
“dating can be fun.”
Yeah. Sweaty palms and spending your beer
money on overpriced dinners. Sign me up!
You eventually find someone more dat
ing-impaired than you, partake in a few
night-time excursions with them (you can’t
stand to be around them during the day)
and then mutually decide to put an end to
the whole sordid affair after about a month.
Harmless. Except now you’re out of beer
money.
The Problem Relationship
This could be any variety of accidents
just waiting to happen. There’s the “Going
Nowhere Relationship,” where it’s simply
pointless to continue. This relationship usu
ally ends when you both come to the conclu
sion that you are never going to change
each other.
Another variation is the “Competition
Relationship,” where you’re constantly try
ing to one-up your mate. Expect numerous
hissy-fits involving flying household items.
The Long Distance Relationship
Only attempt this one if you:
1. absolutely love writing letters
2. possess loads of money for trips to see
your sweetheart
3. have plenty of patience for those late
night, marathon telephone conversations.
Finally, the dreaded “Psycho Relationship.”
During this one, you occasionally have visions
of coming home and finding a bunny boiling
on the stove. Avoid this one at all costs.
The God, I Want Him/Iler Relationship
(otherwise known as a crush)
This one can have you believing that
stalking someone is actually a good thing.
It is also not uncommon to devote count
less hours toward coming up with a cool,
unobtrusive way of introducing yourself to
yet another person who doesn’t have a clue
about your feelings toward them.
With any luck, this relationship actually
comes into fruition and transforms into some
thing resembling the sitcom Mad About You,
where you come up with witty little sayings
during every conversation and receive sponta
neous kisses from your honey.
Wake up and put down the remote.
That’s TV. Real life involves smart-ass re
marks directed toward each other and bot
tled-up resentment that can last for years.
The only advice that I can offer is that rela
tionships require ample amounts of respect
between two people in order to be successful.
Guys, train yourself to leave the toilet
seat down, keep the thermostat above 65
degrees and clean up your crap at least
once a week.
Women, share more of the covers, admit
to being wrong more than once a year and
tell your man what really pisses you off in
stead of making him guess.
At least make the inevitable halfway
bearable.
Quatro Oakley is a junior
management major.
Mail.
Hernandez column
was misunderstood
It is obvious that Barry Sha-
effer’s response to J. Frank
Hernandez’s guest column on
iJuly 20 was written with nei
ther an adequate comprehen
sion of Hernandez’s column,
nor any understanding of what
“society” truly is.
Society is an association of
individuals united by their in
teractions. We are all a part of
and are affected by society.
Every time we have a con
versation with someone or
I watch a television program or
read a newspaper article, we
are interacting with society.
We are playing a part in a
symbiotic relationship in which
we simultaneously affect and
are affected by the people
around us.
To suggest, as Shaeffer does,
that “society is merely a fictitious
misrepresentation of [people’s]
minds, and that our everyday in
teractions with the people around
us do not affect our mental and
emotional state is ludicrous and
indicates the true extent of Shaef-
fer’s ignorance.
Perhaps if people didn’t walk
through society with their eyes
and mind closed, they would re
alize everyone is affected by it.
Shaeffer’s response also in
cluded the claim that the op
pression of groups is merely an
illusion and that these groups
should “take responsibility for
their own actions” instead of
blaming an imaginary foe.
It seems peculiar to me that
Shaeffer can find it so easy to
blindly evaluate the degree to
which society affects these
groups.
Shaeffer goes on to suggest
that Hernandez should have
urged people to break away
from the “it is society’s fault
and we are only helpless young
people” mentality.
If Shaeffer had read Hernan
dez’s column without a warped,
right-wing preconception, he
probably would have realized
that Hernandez never suggest
ed for anyone to merely sit idle
and let society take advantage
of their gender, race, socioeco
nomic status or weight.
In fact, he encouraged peo
ple to “rise up and destroy
these negative characteristics
that have been unjustly put
upon us.”
To “attack every instance of
prejudice and reshape society’s
attitude toward us.”
Next time, Shaeffer should
open his mind before he spouts
his uneducated opinions.
Adam Houston
Class of ’96
Bisexuals also have
moral boundaries
I found Elizabeth F*reston’s col
umn on July 18 to be irrational
and narrow-minded.
It is clear that Preston is trying
to impose her own “boundaries” of
sexuality to try to explain the “so
cial phenomenon” of bisexuality.
Bisexuality is not new, as any
one who has studied Greek or Ro
man civilizations will tell you.
The column equates bisexuals
to “people who end up abusing
drugs or living reckless lives.”
This is not only absurd, but it
lacks an appreciation for the com
plexity of variables which lead to
drug abuse or reckless living.
In conclusion, bisexuality does
not equate a lack of social or sexu
al “boundaries.”
It is an extremely complex issue
which to the present can not be
fully attributed to either nurture
or nature.
To assume that only heterosex
uals can have moral “boundaries”
is ignorant.
David Northcutt
Class of ’96
Tlje Battalion
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Matthew Gaines
The former senator deserves
recognition for his contributions.
Most every A&M student is
well versed in the contribu
tions that Lawrence Sullivan
Ross and James Earl Rudder,
Jr. have made to Texas A&M
University.
But' how many people who
attend this University are
aware of the pioneering ef
forts of Matthew Gaines?
Gaines, a lay minister,
Texas state senator and for
mer slave, played a great role
in enacting the Morrill Land
Grant, which was responsible
for the creation of Texas A&M
University.
University officials and
student groups now are con
sidering erecting a statue of
Gaines in recognition of his
tremendous contributions to
the school.
Gaines was a personifica
tion of the many qualities
this University has stood for
in the past and will continue
to stand for in the future —
pride, honor, leadership and
educational excellence.
For this fact, Matthew
Gaines deserves recognition
from the University he helped
to create.
If sufficient funds cannot
be found to erect this statue,
steps should be taken to en
sure that Gaines is remem
bered in some other appropri
ate fashion.
Matthew Gaines accom
plished much for a cause
greater than himself.
Gaines became an elected
member of the Texas Senate
only six years after being
freed from slavery. During
this time, he helped to create
a University that would not
admit black students until
years after his death.
Gaines’ actions exemplified
his devotion and dedication to
freedom and education.
As a University dedicated
to moving forward in the
cause of diversity, A&M
should take the opportunity
to embrace a man who embod
ied that cause..
Texas A&M currently is
taking steps toward becoming
the culturally aware, well-
balanced University it should
be, but it is easy to see
progress when one stands on
the shoulders of giants like
Gaines.
TTme
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STERLING Hayman, Opinion Editor
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