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
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