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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2000)
Page 13 I OPINION Bay,January 20,2(XX) THE BATTALION s •New year, oid probiems it beginning of new year, some people partied, some suffered n the eve of the new xteyajl millennium, PBS aired an interesting - aw They gave a tour of •' ^ b jlew Year’s I ve eele- . itlns in the most fa- irka. )us cities across the the, such as New York, ris. London and Tokyo, teleenes were tilled with ol ecstatic people, champagne ulasses 4 H thill hands, joyfully heralding the historic nl'I the eentun. ever, the PBS cameras awkwardK shilt- thi ir attention to a huge field hospital in a re- ' ate area of Ken\ a. The field hospital w as cre- ' : ;dt a treat victims of neighboring Sudan’s util and gruelingK endless ci\ il war. While ucl of the rest of the world was part) ing, esl unluck) people were ha\ ing their legs am- BScd after being blasted by land mines, their tile wounds patched up, or their wailing chil- eijiesuseitated from war-induced starvation, ^^^nthough the scene of suffering seemed out ^Hicc. its appearance made an important )int To the people of this world w ho are im- “Wrished, tortured by war, afilicted b\ disease l^^^nde into refugees. New Year's Da\ was a ^^^■ike an\- other. It was a day to w orn about meal. Whether w| were war refugees from Sudan, the orphans MDSholocaust,desperately poor nper: ; Mexicans tn ing to illegally cross the United States border or despairing black youths in America’s ghettos, New Year’s Day was a bitter reminder of their exclusion from the world of comfort and opportunity. Unjustly, the plight of impoverished people, even though they compose a large percentage of the human population, were ignored as the world entered the next century. The air time, newspaper space and small talk wasted on Y2K sensationalist hype should have been spent tak ing a cold-hard look at the dire conditions plaguing far too many of our fellow humans. It is ridiculous that millions of people spent the new year indulging in the promises of the fu ture while today’s sick disparities remain. Ac cording to the Worldwatch Institute, of the 6 bil lion people inhabiting this planet, 1.2 billion, or almost one quarter of the human population, suf fer from hunger. A lack of the most basic of hu man needs causes their growth to be stunted, their minds to be impaired, their bodies to be weak, and their lives to be painfully short. What was all the New Year celebration about when close to one out of every' four people is hungry in a world awash w ith food? Oxfam America reports the roots of world hunger lie not in agricultural underproduction — enough food is produced to feed every one — but in the unfair distribution of wealth and in social injustices. The pnx)f lies in the fact that while 1.2 billion people go hungry, another 1.2 billion eat too much. Overeating is not only common in wealthy countries, but is widespread in countries where hunger is severe. But not all the needless suffering in this world is being caused by poverty. While many New Year’s party-goers were toasting the new millennium, war ring factions did not stop their violent conflicts. The world’s many wars are the dirty laundry carried over from last cen tury. A testament to the w orld’s apathy and indifference toward human misery, w'ars continue to bum like fires across the globe, many w ith no end in sight. For innocent people in at least 10 differ ent countries, war continues to make life a living hell and waste nations’ badly- needed resources. In this modem world, war, justified or not, is a crime against humanity. The most innocent and helpless bear the brunt of today’s w ars, with 00 percent of the people killed or injured being civilians. Those who are willing to fight a war are ready to sacrifice nine innocent lives, mainly women and children, for every one “enemy" they kill. The victims of these w ars are keenly aware of international neglect of their plight. It hurt them even more to know that while much of the world celebrated on New Year's Eve, they were left to anguish. “We children of the Sudan, w'e were not luckv," commented 14-year-old Simon Majok in a United Nations Children’s Fund re port on the tragedy befalling southern Sudan’s war displaced children. "Some have been killed. Some have died because of hunger and dis ease," he concluded. All the cheery faces and grand festivities projected on the New Year’s Eve television cov erage do not reflect the reality of this poverty- and conflict-ridden world. If poor and suffering people are indeed considered to be members of RICHARD HORNE/Tm Butu.ion the human family, their predicament should have received more attention in the media’s end of the millennium panorama. Hopefully, on the eve of the year 3000, human enlightenment will prevent them from being left out, because in an other thousand years, poverty and war should no longer exist. Caesar Ricci is a junior plant and soil science major. VILB throws a pitch in the dirt with Rocker’s ‘sensitivity training’ s tion . JLueslo • r oaress toward ie‘[great society” ivisioned by c yndon Johnson id lostered by the X i, (forts ofthou- tnds of individu- ls, Americans seem to have forgotten :e true depth of the equality and ac- .‘ptfince for which so many have niggled for. i Boday’s society no longer looks at igotiy and racism as vast social injus- i-y ,ces. Instead, psychiatrists have char- , ' tterized them into treatable disorders. ' mstlas modem science has eradicated nail pox, nearly conquered polio, and Dtnhated the problem of male pattern aldness, society now believes it has fscbvered a quick fix for the age-old •oblem of intolerance. ■Unfortunately, this country cannot ford to depend upon their employers iprovide moral guidance in the form py-long workshops and photo- )|ed handouts. Corporate America is increasingly ling toward “sensitivity training” to dive the racial and social conflicts hibh often arise within office build- igs lust as numerous computer firms irqutcd up to cash in on the recent 2K paranoia, a growing number of [insulting firms arc profiting from the ew age of political correctness and are ow offering various forms of cultural sisitivity training. ■Whether they are called “diversity onkshops” or “multicultural aware- ess programs,” these training sessions suhlly consist of one to two days of lion lectures, bonding exercises and ■playing scenarios. Apparently, the leaders of the busi- esj; world believe that modern coun- elihg techniques have developed suffi- S — ieiltly to allow therapists to erase entire Ifelimes of bigotry and intolerance in a ew afternoons of seminars and camp- Eigames. Sadly, they will eventually (isiover that this is not possible. «is obviously a lesson that Major —^eague Baseball has failed to learn. In recent magazine interview, Atlanta IIOH Mves pitcher John Rocker made in- lam matory remarks about several seg- iiejits of the New York City popula- S tO ion In a misguided attempt to look ike they are addressing the issue of in- olerance, Rocker has been ordered by he commissioner of baseball to undcr- ;o psychiatric testing and subsequent eiisitivity training. TEvidently, the commissioner of jascball believes that Rocker suffers font an injured psyche which, like a Can ligament or broken bone, can be nended with a few weeks of super- dspd treatment. ■Unfortunately for Rocker and our ligest ' 0Cict y in general, the solution is not iliop's hat simple. ■Although certainly a step in the ipit ight direction and beneficial in some stapacity, sensitivity training is not the ^ f inswer to the nation’s social woes be- ause it does too little, too late. The inly real way to stop the spread ofbig- 3mU 6— ant * rac ' sm ‘ s lo cn( -l h before it be- ' £ins. Psychiatrists cannot convince 'tdlilis to abandon their notions of soci ety when they have spent their entire lives having these thoughts and beliefs ingrained into their minds and con stantly reinforced by their parents, friends and communities. America should not dedicate the bulk of its resources on efforts to sway the minds which have been set for en tire lifetimes. Instead, parents and fam ilies should try' to teach children to ac cept and appreciate diversity from the moment they are bom. This is not to say that sensitivity training for adults is a gross misappro priation of valuable time and energy. It is never a waste of resources to attempt to correct a social injustice. But as any good doctor knows, prevention is far easier and more effective than address ing a problem once it has developed. remains before we can reach our goal of a having a multiculturally unified campus. Perhaps in the end, society itself can be the tool which Americans can use to combat prejudice. In the case of Rocker, many of his teammates have expressed an unwill ingness to share a locker room with their outspoken peer. Ultimately, only pressure from soci ety itself can cure the ills which face it. Let those who choose to make off en sive remarks deal w ith the conse quences of their words. As Oliver Wendell 1 lolmes wrote while on the Massachusetts Supreme Court, “A policeman may have a constitu tional right to talk politics, but he has no constitutional right to be a policeman.” The values of acceptance and toler ance must be conveyed to this coun try’s youngest citizens through their families and communities. As columnist Bill Plaschke noted in The Los Angeles Times, “The most shocking aspect of Rocker’s statements should not have been the words, but that he was so comfortable saying them.” If Americans continue to provide an environment where ignorance and ca sual racism are accepted, then it would be erroneous to attempt to lay blame on anyone else for the continued existence of these social woes. Racism, bigotry and hatred are nev er justified or excusable, no matter where or in what context they may oc cur. The degradation of another person based on their skin, heritage or lifestyle is wrong, whether it comes in the form of a Ku Klux Klan-thcmed highway patrol officer party or the casual re marks of a university football player at a bonfire rally. Two years ago, this campus had an opportunity to display its refusal to let words of intolerance and prejudice go unchallenged. Although many, includ ing the University administration, chose to take a stand, many individual students supported the bigotry rellected in that student’s remarks through the wearing of shirts and the display of signs in their residence hall windows. 11 appears that in Aggieland a long journey down the road of acceptance These words are just as true today as they were over a century ago. No one can send Rocker to prison for stating his mind, but his employers can choose to dismiss him for his intol erant views. I lis teammates can choose to give him the cold shoulder. 1 lis fans can give their support to someone else. Someone who can look them in the eye regardless of what color skin they have or where they were born. The government cannot forcibly si lence the intolerant members of soci ety, but individual citizens can let them know that their views have no place in the today’s world. The First Amend ment merely guarantees that “Congress shall make no law ... abridging the free dom of speech.” It does not say that Americans are obligated to welcome hateful speech into their homes or com munities. The problems of social intolerance and racism cannot be abolished with a simple 12-step program. Sending people to sensitivity train ing seminars and then labeling them as “socially adjusted” will not end bigotry and hatred, however, address ing the sources of the problem and in stilling values in our children at an early age will. Nicholas Roznovsky is a junior politcal science major. VIEW POiNTS ‘Morning after’pill sickness arlier this month, parents in sexually-liberated France stepped out of character and began picketing junior highs and high schools where the “morning after” pill (MAP) was being made avail able to female students without parental consent. They are protesting not the post-intercourse contra ceptive but its distribution to their daughters — as young as 12 — without their knowledge. As well they should. The possibility of allowing only the school nurse to know of a girl's pregnancy infinitely widens the growing gap between teens and parents. The availability of this pill makes it possible for French teens to have unprotected sex, or even expe rience the trauma of rape and receive treatment without counseling from educators or parents. Now, American teens are starting to ask for similar services and confidentiality. American parents com monly argue with disbelief that schools already pro vide condoms and other protection to their students, but require written consent to give out aspirin. Could it be possible, in the near future, for teenage girls to get the MAP or abortion pills at American high schools without their parents knowing any more than how many headaches their daughters have? If so, families are in danger. The possibility of allowing only the school nurse to know of a girl’s pregnancy infinite ly widens the growing gap between teens and parents. Likewise, many parents are worried that nurses might support the advice of organizations like Planned Parenthood, who feel that taking a pregnancy full-term is detrimental to the health of a teenage girl, despite ethics valued by her parents. Therefore, they “prescribe" birth control, the MAP or even abortion. This is already happening in France. Advocates for providing all available contraception to high school and junior high students say that the breakdown of the family has lead to the need for confi dential treatment when teens are having sex. Unfortu nately, this presents the risk that children may stop looking to their parents for answers and go straight to their school for the pill. If parents are increasingly ex cluded from their children's important decisions, sexu al and otherwise, we can only expect the further decay of the family unit and morality. — Heather Corbell If looks could kill A recent Amarillo murder case has raised ’some familiar questions about stereotypes and intoler ance. The victim, Brian Deneke, was considered a “punk” because he wore spiked dog collars and had a colored mohawk. Dustin Camp, a clean-cut high school football player, was suspected of the murder. While the defense gave Deneke's alternative lifestyle and dress as an excuse for the crime, the prosecution argued that it was cold-blooded murder, saying Camp purposely went after Deneke with his car. The jury found Camp guilty of second degree manslaughter, and when his sentence was handed down Camp received only probation. Since Camp was not convicted of murder, there was no jail time sentenced for the crime. Many people believe the jury, influenced by the victim’s appearance and lifestyle, passed on a soft ■conviction and sentencing that did not fit the crime. The Amarillo courts could have made a strong statement about these types of crimes, but by just giving Deneke probation, the court practically told the public that it is all right to kill a person because you do not agree with the way he or she dresses. Today, society should not have to still fight these types of social injustices, especially in the legal system Society can now be plagued with the thought of what will happen the next time Deneke or someone else finds a person they do not like because of that person's style of clothing or way of life. Will the next murder suspect get another slap on the wrist? This type of prejudice is a reminder of the past when people were judged by their ethnicity. Today, society should not have to still fight these types of social injustice, especially in the legal system. The Amarillo court had the chance to help put a stop to these crimes, but instead did not look past the appear ance and lifestyle of the victim or the suspect. America’s justice system is based on the belief that justice is blind to race, creed, gender and ap pearance. When the legal system loses that impar tiality and begins to judge defendants and victims on what they wear and how they live, we will lose any chance of justice being served. — Brieanne Porter MAIL CALL U.S. should keep Elian from Cuba, Castro In response to Chris Huffines’ Jan. 18 column. I was only three-years-old when I left Cuba with my family in 1961, but being familiar with prevailing views in the Cuban-American com munity, I would like to set the record straight with regards to the custody battle over Elian Gonzalez. In contrasting the disorderly demonstrations in Miami with the “peaceful” protests in Cuba, Mr. Huffines overlooks the difference between spontaneous and govern ment-sponsored (Read mandato ry: Even the Chinese government spares its citizens the grave indig nity of forcing them to attend polit ical rallies). Many Cubans in Miami have first-hand knowledge of the Cuban government’s brutality, but hatred of Castro alone is not enough to compel people from such a family- oriented culture to interfere with a family reunion: Mr. Huffines does a great disservice to the Cubans subsisting on lies and meager ra tions in the island nation in down playing their condition to “smoke and mirrors.” I concede that the tactics being used to keep the boy in Miami are questionable, but this is forgiv able in view of the greater evil from which they want to protect him. In other words, they care. If Castro really cared about having the family reunited, he would grant exit visas to Elian’s father AND his wife and son (Elian’s half-brother). Otherwise, they would serve as hostages to in sure the return of Elian’s father. Advocating what is right for a child too young to make responsi ble decisions is not easy, and the prospect of having Elian testify in court terrifies me, but it would be a great tragedy if for the sake of political expediency that we turn our backs on a mother’s dying wish. Antonio Chaves Zoology PhD. Class of ’99 The Battalion encourages letters to the ed itor. Letters must be 300 words or less and in clude the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed Mc Donald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com