The Battalion
1 ; *'■ : I I I
Page 12
Monday • September 2, 1996
Haughty
versus
Humble
Hillary
H illary Rodham
Clinton.Upon hearing this
name from the media,
their friends or (heaven forbid)
their wives or girlfriends, most
men work themselves into the
most bitter
Columnist
of cringes.
Florence
Griffith-
Joyner’s fin
gernails
slowly
raked
across a
chalkboard
H.L. Baxter
Senior geography
major
or a partic
ularly bru
tal case of
constipa
tion pale in
comparison to the grimaces that
Hillary’s name produces.
Many women, on the other
hand, simply shrug or even smile
her name off.
To them, the first lady isn’t the
behemoth of liberalism and femi
nism the media and men make
her out to be. She’s just a deter
mined, accomplished woman
with a wealth of confidence.
The countenances of men and
women at the very mentioning of
Hillary Rodham Clinton exists as
just one piece of evidence con
cerning the “gender gap.” On one
side of the gap are men (who tra
ditionally vote Republican) and on
the other side women (who usual
ly pull the switch for Democrats).
Perhaps another piece of evi
dence of this gender gap is who
stopped reading this column after
the first line.
However, this column isn’t
about the gender gap, other dif
ferences between men and
women or even irregularity. It is
about Hillary Rodham Clinton
and ... well, that’s it.
Most know Hillary Rodham
Clinton is very intelligent,
although meeting with that new-
age religion professor lady who
asked her to carry on conversa
tions with Eleanor Roosevelt and
Jesus Christ wasn’t too smart.
During the beginning of her
husband’s presidency, the media,
as well as many conservative
groups, vilified her for being overly
ambitious and occasionally
upstaging the president.
She didn’t play her “role” very
well. She didn’t back up Bill on
every occasion and sought recog
nition for her own achievements.
Unfortunately, she believed
the media.
Poll after poll denoted that
Americans didn’t like her and that
she was damaging the president.
So about midway through her hus
band’s first term, she announced
she would change her image.
And what a change it has been.
The self-assured, stern-spoken,
business suit-clad Hillary who
once stood firmly juxtaposed with
her husband is now so stiff, prim
and confined that she doesn’t even
look comfortable.
A month after her make-over, I
saw her on C-SPAN donning a
thick monochromatic suit but
toned up to her neck and a skirt
falling just beneath her knees.
She wasn’t going over health
care or giving a speech about chil
dren and poverty. She was giving
an in-depth analysis of a ginger
bread house. It would’ve worked if
she knew what the hell she was
talking about.
Although the first lady doesn’t
have specific duties, traditionally
she picks a pressing cause and
throws her weight to alleviate it.
Nancy Reagan did it with drugs
and Barbara Bush with illiteracy,
for example.
Hillary Clinton seems to be
following suit with proper child-
rearing or something, but it
looks so artificial, no one’s tak
ing her seriously.
I guess I’ll just come right out
and say it: screw the media, I want
the old Hillary back.
The last thing we need is
another Elizabeth Dole: a power
house of a woman who, whenever
suggested, ducks into her hus
band’s shadow because some
deem it appropriate.
Women have come too far to
be forced to take the backseat
again. It should never be done,
whether that woman is the wife of
a president or a peon.
Learn it or leave it
erro
look
Students should make the most of opportunities to learn
L et’s face it: You hate school.
Almost everyone shares one
common goal: to make an
acceptable grade with as little
learning and effort as possible.
College looks like a big party
-with the one
: arra
Columnist
Bryan Goodwin
Junior English major
sour note
being your
parents’
unreason
able expec
tations for
you to do
well. Going
to class is a
major drag,
and you
- have no
intention of
really absorbing anything your
teacher says.
Oh, that may not be true of all
your classes, but I’ll bet there’s not
a business major born who really
sees a future use for calculus.
So maybe you’ve found your
self in a major you really enjoy,
and are planning on throwing
yourself headlong into the learn
ing process. Things are just
dandy for you, except for those
pesky core curriculum classes.
These mandatory classes are a
terrible injustice forced upon you
by the board of directors, or
whichever secret governing body
it is that decides these things.
Now, for some God-awful reason,
they want you to take classes that
& m BKGpp
j t wAUirg cot*)
have intrinsic value, in order to produce
a more well-rounded student.
But stop for a second: Are there really
evil people laughing over printouts of
your schedule? Doubtful. More likely,
some of these classes actually do pos
sess some intrinsic value that you are too
short-sighted to see.
My favorite example is the engineer
ing major who doesn’t see a need for
English. He probably didn’t like Mr.
Holland’s Opus, either.
Renaissance men (people who are
well-versed in a wide variety of studies,
for all you biomed majors) are getting
fewer and farther between every day.
Well-rounded people are more inter
esting. A balanced course load will make
you more knowledgeable in general; for
example, society is filled with allusions
to the classics that you just won’t catch
unless you have the proper background.
Ever wonder why everyone in the the
ater is laughing but you?
Chances are, you re missing out on a
lot of life’s little ironies, and what you
missed because you were snoozing in
class would’ve made you a better con
versationalist.
So where’s the problem with making
yourself more interesting to other people?
Whoops, lost all the engineering and
meteorology majors on that one.
Okay, try this: You make great grades
in all of your major-specific courses, but
your grade-point ratio gets dragged
down to an unseemly 3.8 by the classes
you have to share with the huddled
masses. You really can make good grades
in all those classes! Well, maybe not kine
siology, but all those book-learning
courses are potential 4.0s. How? Try actu
ally learning the material in your classes
this semester.
Applying yourself like this will serve you
in the long run as well: Everyone writes.
Whether you end up a secretary or a
CEO, you’re going to be judged on your
mastery of the written word. Remember,
logarithmic equations aren’t going to
impress people who think you’re afunc
tional illiterate.
Pay attention in composition and
you’ll come out with the ability to com
municate your meanings clearly. Pay
attention in lit and you’ll impress people
with your keen knowledge of the classics.
Pay attention in math and you’ll...
well, you'll be good at math.
Unbelievably, there are dozens of su: 1 It was low. It
jects this philosophy works for. iias classic Fan
Newton didn’t study physics becausq| Such a conn
it was completely devoid of interesting
material; he did it out of that great fouii
elation for discovery that lies within us
all: human curiosity.
Exercise a little of it yourself thissemeste:
ometimes
Farrakhan
his rhetori
jne, I just wisl
Never have I
|ena human
ping spilling
er with such
itred for
[hers.
We've all
ard
irrakhan’s
Igoted
r ades
mouncing
ws as “dev-
and the
vhite man.”
[it the fiery mi
sname-callin
[Americans ir
In his latest a
ational Associ
lumalists, Farr
pother one of I
at has becom
Over and ovi
F the Nation o
le 800 journal
July accept his
paratist teacl
mained large
And over am
hrakhan accu
[failing to pri
But the dim;
beech was his
iidience of bla
pthing more tl
Yes, you rea<
lied an 800-n
ce“house sk
Mail
Politics and
morals don’t mix
[In regards to Jenni Howard’s
column on Friday], too bad every
one doesn’t see beyond the fancy
political rhetoric and realize what
the politicians (for whom we vote)
can actually do for us.
Whether you belong to the
Christian majority, decency and
respect tend to be afterthoughts in
a sea of self-centered goals.
This is undoubtedly part of
what discourages young people
from voting. If “morality” is most
precious to them, they realize that
this frayed moral fabric is impossi
ble to mend through political par
ticipation (of any kind).
When we care for others, we
realize how the present state of
our nation is so destructive.
Our solutions do not come
from the vote we cast but from
the daily lives we lead.
If we choose to change our
short-sighted goals,we create an
effect far greater than any vote
cast could make...we create
their new homes and bring with
them boxes and boxes of stuff. The
boxes are very valuable to Bryan’s
Twin City Mission, whose primary
fund-raiser is recycling.
We need Aggies to support
this program by putting old
boxes into the recycling bins
located around campus.
Recycling bins will be available
for boxes until tomorrow.
The Battalion
Established in 1893
Cassandra E. DeLarios
Class of '96
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Editor in Chief
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Gretchen Perrenot
Executive Editor
Heather Pace
Opinion Editor
Daniel Huckaby
Class of '98
Students should
recycle cardboard
This year more than 8000 on-
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Give a Hoot
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But Farrakh;
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Remember t
[have sponsc
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Battalion readers should do more ts
prevent the litter caused by inserts.!
potlY THWK TfMSU.
tifSeTT*te
CpMCtfESS?,
W! ? 7 HEAR
itteYfcE 6oth mb
One Battalion into the fall
semester and we’re already
plagued with those dreaded
inserts that litter the ground
near every Battalion stand.
The Battalion
has fielded several
complaints on the
issue and has
taken steps to
improve the situa
tion. But unfortu
nately, the easiest
solution requires
each individual to
help. It’s a simple
request: Don’t
drop the inserts
on the ground
when you pick up
a copy of The
Battalion.
a $5 millior
Islam before
The inclusion of
inserts is a
necessity, not an
option, in order
for The
Battalion to pro
vide a quality
newspaper to
the students.
not
approach.
went so far as to include * ! la ian s ' m
issue on his platform, sayingM ^ WIt 1 ,a
would do away with the inserts ^ 16 co ont '
Unless another way can n
found to offset the high prof., T
the inserts pro Libya wet
vide, trying to i h an leader
away with (l«i“ tak , h , an
* teasoliabl ) nd Fanak!
Th a t j fortunately
why The Battaiia ! e Treasury C
takes its pH !"“ mlced Fa
directly to eaii a owed to
reader heymtoth
However, it 11 les P onse
important * ™Gadhafi
The Battalion d S l unt ^ a U-
its part. atter. Then, 1
The Battaliof rch on our ]
advertisiHij:^ 0 a h ea d ai
department h# r governmei
Although this is the simple solu
tion, the reality is that most people
will pick up their paper and let the
inserts fall to the ground. There is
nothing The Battalion can do to
stop that.
The inclusion of inserts is a
necessity, not an option, in
order for The Battalion to pro
vide a quality newspaper to the
students. Approximately 97 per
cent of funding for the campus
paper is from advertising rev
enue. A popular form of adver
tising is the insert.
Individuals bringing past
complaints have failed to under
stand this point. One student
body presidential candidate
already started by making ever lr >akhan or h
effort to consolidate advertiser Refunded b
with inserts onto a single dayJ! ^ ow * ^ be
designating one day for insert Ur history is
each week, advertising is heif Specially i
ing to solve the problem. '(oted to rac
Other ways to keep theinseii Put cooper;
off the ground are constant’ he answer,
being discussed. At times bo# Nowhere d(
have been provided for thot )r aham sane
willing to do something with tl 1 country <
inserts other than throw the! Ts. Not in tl
on the ground. But for now,!! 1 hie. And noi
Battalion can only ask for help ^his “man o
Battalion readers should a ( h r each it, tb
responsibly and help keep
campus grounds clean. Studen 1 bow-tied t
should pick up and recycle if he g(
inserts after they read them or 1 ph the help
they choose not to read them
safety prov