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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 1998)
$ pday • February 13, 1998 The Battalion ERSPECTIVES and After alse independence, rebellion of Generation X-ers soon changes in real world Michelle Voss columnist \k\ ay adios to nose rings, ced eyebrows, tongue studs, lDll | ced cartilage,etc., etc. ep, the moment the corporate jquarters in Atlanta call for an rview, it’s sayanora to rebel- Or, rather, psuedo-rebellion. [he raving trend of the past years or so has been to ce one’s flesh in somewhat Dictions places, efforts to draw attention to 's sense of anarchism, Trent orism — which, by the way, 1 1 ild be a pop-culture refer- in the OED — or inner-craziness, leagues of "non- brmists” have resorted to primitive means of self- sement. his cultural phenomena of self-mutilation [ngst American youth is intriguing from an anthro- gical point of view and rather nauseating from an dean youth’s point of view. tempting to rebel, thousands of youth are just con ing to a superficial standard of non-conformity, ndeed, there is no intellectual or philosophical nancy behind our fascination with masochis- ehavior. If you ask people why they pierced their eyebrow, K tongue or belly button the answer might be, “It this cool,” “I just wanted it” or, my personal favorite, pi a passive shrug. In fact, the University truism, which we all ingest without struggle, is that we will graduate, find a job and remove our tongue bar and eyebrow ring because they’re just not appropriate for the corporate offices at Compaq. So, two points of concern present themselves. First, it is rather disillusioning that we are not al lowed to express ourselves once we arrive in the “pri vate sector” or “business world” or “real life.” In order to become an adult, we must don a pin striped suit and a pair of wing-tip shoes; otherwise, we have not grown up. Associated with words such as “punk-rocker” (in my grandmothers terms), “angsty” or bizarre, piercing are not altogether welcome at a corporate board meeting. Of course, the opulent corporate high-rises with their plush burgundy carpet, Renoir prints and late- 19th century antique settees do not welcome Vans, tat tered Levis and tongue rings. Okay, we all know that. But, why? Why do they care what their employees look like? The obvious answers would be something like, your tongue ring would ruin all the envelopes you have to lick, or all of the metal on your head might interfere with the reception of your cellular phone. However, the reality of the situation is that our cul ture says it is unacceptable to look different, especial ly when you’re making copies of your face, hands and bottom on the office copier. As Dilbert makes sardonically clear, the anonymity of corporate life dictates that we must conform. Which brings up my second point. We are willful conformists. First, we conform to non-conformity. Then, we con form to work-place etiquette. Our little piercings are a desperate attempt to break free from the banality and drabness of the basic mold. But, we can never truly change societal norms if we simply give in. When a company dangles $50,000 and a car al lowance in front of us, we will gladly take out the nose ring and throw away the dingy tongue bar. Is this pessimism, cynicism? No, this is a requiem, a nostalgic sigh for what could have been an actual dif ference our generation could have made. We could have, we still could, refuse to be the same as everyone else. So, over our morning bear-claw and coffee, let us pause for a moment of silence to commemorate our last days of psuedo-rebellion. Michelle Voss is a sophomore English major. DICE FROM THE CROWD STUDENT LIFE ternatives to abortion exist f irufli nces i v Kristy Cranley guest columnist Ihis Christ mas 3, my nt and cle ar- ed home m Russia th a pre- ms new t: a baby y. After ing for ml years adopt a child here in America, ;y finally spent $30,000 to go Russia where they had to wait [over a month before they |uld adopt my cousin Jacob, ey are not alone. The Family Research imcil reports that each 1.6 million adoption , guests go unsatisfied in T"' nerica alone. Surpris- o« :| Jjy, there is actually a liting list for babies P th Down’s syndrome D eI d spina bifida as well [ing 1 healthy children. And tl.5 million children ntinue to be aborted ah nually, as young unwed others are fed the lie that p ortion is their only alterna- Some of the symptoms include guilt, regret, remorse, shame, low ered self-esteem, insomnia and nightmares. Dr. and Mrs. J. C. Willke, authors of Love Them Both, say symptoms such as flashbacks, anniversary reactions, hostility and even hatred toward men are also common, although they may not start until five or 10 years after the abortions. Adoption is made out to be a “fate worse than death” for the child, when in fact studies in the National Adoption Report show children erf; With abortion being such a hot tfi&jpic, I’m sure everyone is familiar th the catch phrase “my body, ychoice.” The problem is that ost women never get the iance to learn what exactly their w® oices are. They are encouraged to st have an abortion as if that will 'U everything. The fact is the proce- ire itself often produces physical implications. Moreover, people rarely hear out the psychological prob- ms that commonly occur after abortion called Post Abortion 'tidrome. adopted as infants are often more positive and better adjusted to life than their non-adopted peers. If you are currently facing a cri sis pregnancy, please don’t despair. Know there are plenty of places that can help you. There are 4,000 different pregnancy help centers around the country dedicated to giving confidential assistance to distressed pregnant women. The services offered can in clude finding the mother a job, a place to live, a new school, med ical or legal help, clothes, coun seling and anything else she may need to help her carry her baby to term. Some local ministries in clude Hope Pregnancy Services, Good Samaritan Pregnancy Ser vices and Project Gabriel. There are also many organiza tions such as these in the Austin area. If the first place you call can’t help you with your specific needs, they can direct you to those who can. If you have had an abortion and are suffering from the aforemen- r ^ honed symptoms of Post Abor- tion Syndrome, there are peo- pie who can help you as well. Many of the above-men tioned help clinics can di rect you to support groups for women who have had abortions. There is also a support network and re treat called Project Rachel which helps women grieve and heal from the hurt of abortion, and can be reached locally by call ing St. Mary’s Catholic Church or nationally at 1 (800) 5-WE-CARE. It is important to remember the choice for or against abortion should not have to be a choice be tween the mother and the child. To be young, unwed and pregnant is a lonely and frightening situation, and these young mothers deserve our love and support. In the same way, the tiny help less lives inside of them also need our love and support. Why can’t we love them both? jm Kristy Cranley is a sophomore psychology major. Gifts demand careful thought W:;l I Mickey Saloma columnist world was St. Valen tine, and why did he have to ruin my Febru ary? Valen tine’s Day is a holiday for women 1 - - — most likely begun by a woman who wanted more presents from her significant other. Just as I was recovering from the severe mental and physical anguish I encountered trying to get my girlfriend the ultimate Christmas present, society desig nates another day in which one has to blow precious money on that special someone they love. I think I celebrate a part of Valentine’s Day with my girl friend every single day. I spend quality time with her. I tell her that I love her, and I mean it. There is no reason there should be a single day of the year devoted to the one you love. If you love somebody you should show it everyday. You should not have to shower them with gifts on one day to let them know you care. I do not understand why we do not have a holiday that hon ors one’s best friend. The holiday would be to cel ebrate that special friend whom you laugh with, gossip with, joke around with and whom you love dearly. Maybe we could also come up with a holiday to honor our cus todian. I can see it now, dorm residents could take up collec tions and get the custodian a gift. Hey, custodians need love too. Well, that could be too ex treme; however my point is that all relationships should be cher ished everyday and not be the sole focus on one day nor an ex cuse to give somebody a gift. Maybe I don’t understand Valentine’s Day, but still, my sev eral shortcomings in the mental capacity are not going to save me from having to buy a present. I, like most males, am an ex tremely simple being. I could quite honestly go without a gift. Valentine’s Day is for the ladies. I am not saying I would be of fended to get something, I love getting stuff I did not have to pur chase. It is simply easier to shop for a man than it is for a woman. There is no denying that. For example, if a guy would get a shirt as a gift, he would be happy and appreciative. He would see the shirt as a most ex cellent addition to his pitiful wardrobe. However, if he bought his girlfriend a shirt for Valen tine’s Day, well... that would be another story. In my past experiences with members of the opposite sex, getting a woman a shirt for Valentine’s Day would cause her to go ballistic. She would see it as an attack on her fashion sense. That kind of gift would probably cause her to throw some sort of tantrum similar to that thrown by your average “Jerry Springer” guest. My quest to find the ultimate Valentine’s gift has been a drain ing experience. I want to do something different, something fun, something at least semi-ro mantic and most importantly, something cheap. This is easier said than done. I refuse to go the traditional route of roses and or chocolates for many reasons. First, that’s been overdone, and it’s also really boring. Guys, you can be more creative than this. Ladies, you should expect more than this. Also, roses die and the recipi ent of this rose is left with noth ing but an empty vase and mem ories of what once was. Likewise, chocolate is digested leaving nothing behind but the guilt of eating the entire box and a little more body to work off at the Rec Center. Creativity in buying a Valen tine’s gift is essential. However, you must be careful not to cross the fine line between being cre ative and being cheesy. Cheesiness has its time and place, but I can assure you this is one holiday that should be fraught with sincerity, or else you will hear about it. Thus, don’t go writing rhymed poetry comparing her eyes to the skies or her laugh to a giraffe. Also, don’t get her a flower and compare her to that flower. Sure that’s sweet and creative, but since we make such a big deal about Valentine’s Day, the least we can do is give a gift that has class and style with love as the general theme. I am not sure that such a gift exists, but you can bet that I and any many other guys will con tinue on our odysseys to find the gifts that will send the right message. No matter how long and arduous the quest will be, the ladies deserve it. Never for get that. Mickey Saloma is a senior journalism major. it i MAIL CALL te of paper products jSbisa shows waste Fs many Aggies know, at the be- ning of last semester Sbisa din- 1’s dishwashing section was pmplete after its renovations. Jposable paper and plastic T ns iis replaced washable ones I many weeks. I ^ visited our facility yesterday only to learn that we are still using throwaway paper cups and plastic bowls. When asked why, a Sbisa manager told me that they felt it was easier on them. This is an unnecessary waste of resources and landfill space that should immediately be halted. I submitted a “Sbisa Report Card” given to me by the manager to ex press my feelings. I hope others will do the same. Michael D. Watts Class of’97 Plan to modernize dorms ignores tradition I find it distressing that yet again the University has reduced the dignity of its on-campus resi dents to that of sub-human cash cows for the milking. The Department of Resident Life, that wonderful organization that is supposed to care about on- campus residents has suddenly made major decisions that drasti cally affect the communities of Hart and Walton, without even giving Hart and Walton a say. We as sub-human residents be neath Resident Life’s dignity have been sacrificed in worship to the almighty dollar. By not giving us a say in the re cent non-air hall modifications, Resident Life and the people fi nancially pressuring Resident Life have revealed yet again their true attitude toward students. We students are trivial factors in Resident Life decision-making. Resident Life offers many words to mask their callous plans, but we residents judge them by their aloof and damaging actions. How comforting it is to know Resident Life is willing to shatter two resident families for the sake of budgets, numbers and politics. David Rickerson Class of’99 Article misrepresents religion of Hindu people In response to the Feb. 11 article: I am very happy to know about the history and traditions of the kiss. I would like to take this opportu nity to clarify a section in the article which appears to have been insert ed in the middle of your dialogue. “The Indian Kama Sutra... about kissing as we know it today” In that paragraph there is a factual error stating “..Kama Sutra, a collection of erotic and religious poems...” Kama Sutra was never and will never be considered a religious work from the land and people where is was written. It is a well known fact “kama” means sex and “sutra” means laws. Such false statements hurt sen timents of mine and many other Hindus. I hope The Battalion will put proper research when writing about subjects which it not familiar with. And we have access to a world class research pool right here. The article could easily be more accurate. Srikar Chunduri Texas Occupational Health and Safety Institute Comic strip subject matter offends, appalls I am writing in response to the Simel & Lewis cartoon in the Feb .6 edition of The Battalion. I was read ing the edition over breakfast that morning and was appalled at the connotations present in the car toon which compared Texas A&M University with Communist Russia. Your portrayal of A&M as a communist organization is de plorable, and you should be ashamed of yourself for doing so. As you already know, many A&M students have given their lives in numerous ways and con flicts to fight communism and to protect Democracy around the world. Your portrayal has stomped on the graves of these brave indi viduals and insulted many current A&M students. I agree with your right to pub lish whatever you deem printable, but in this instance, you have gone too far. Karl Cox Class of’00
