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Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9 • Friday, February 28, 2003
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pay $401
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Speak your mind
School infringes on students’ free speech right
F reedom of expression
received another
blow Feb. 17, when a
junior at Dearborn High
School in Michigan was
asked to either leave
school or change out of the
antiwar T-shirt he had on.
The shirt, worn by student
Bretton Barber, had a pic
ture of President George
W. Bush on it with the words “International
Terrorist” underneath the picture. Barber chose
logo home rather than surrender his freedoms,
according to The Detroit News.
Although the message Barber was convey
ing stirs up controversy and breeds discontent,
that is not a reason to ban him from expressing
those views. At a time when people are begin
ning to explore their own political opinions
and preparing to become active voices in the
community, discouraging them from commu
nicating those beliefs could stifle other
students’ opinions for fear of the same
treatment, as well as preventing
the censored individual from fur
ther political activity.
Barber's opinion may go
against the American majori
ty, but it should not be
ignored.
A topic that arouses such
controversy and scrutiny as
war demands analysis and criti
cism to insure that the best
decision is made. Without the
percentage of the population
that will undoubtedly question
the nation’s entrance into war,
haphazard decisions could be
made by the Bush administration. It
is not only beneficial, it is absolutely necessary for the public to
question the government’s actions and express whatever senti
ments it might have. Barber was simply exercising his rights and,
although his opinion may not represent all Americans, his right
to share that viewpoint is a part of what makes him an American.
School spokesman Dave Mustonen told The Associated Press
that “emotions were running high” and he felt it was easiest to
eliminate the problem at its source by banning the shirt.
Although the atmosphere was probably intense, the feeling of
discomfort felt by those who are closed-minded
should not be a basis for censorship. The
teachers’ fears were simply unfounded,
according to one student who spoke with
The Detroit News, Lindsey Hoganson.
“I didn’t hear anybody say anything
about the shirt until we heard the administra
tion was making him change it,” she said.
High school students are at a point in life
where their characters are formed, and
the faculty of Dearborn High School
taught them to not question mass
opinion or the government.
, Students will be discussing
I the potential war with Iraq
with or without one student
wearing a T-shirt to class.
Barber gave students an alterna
tive perspective from what the
majority of Americans believe.
He didn’t ask them to agree or
make a scene; he was making the
point that other countries may see
the United States as a terrorist
nation, just as we see others as terror
ists. The legitimacy of his argu
ment is not the basis for debate,
but simply the fact that he has a
right to make an argument.
Furthermore, Barber told the
AP that he had done a presenta-
V tion earlier that day on compar-
,\N ing and contrasting Bush with
3k t Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein,
and had worn the shirt for that
purpose.
The issue of a looming war with
Iraq is not one that can be neatly
explained by propaganda T-shirts or
one student’s opinion. Barber most
likely does not understand the level
of political complexity involved in
the decision to go to war. However, he does understand that he has
a right to disagree. Denying any American the right to express his
sentiments about a probable war, sensible or unfounded, contra
dicts the ideas this country was founded upon.
Sara Foley is a sophomore
journalism major.
Graphic by Ruben DeLuna.
EDITORIAL
Save the dairy
University may lose a tradition
In the midst of financial struggles, Texas A&M is losing a
part of its history. On Feb. 20, it was announced that the
Dairy Science Center would be closing its doors after 50
years of serving A&M and its students. The University is
making a mistake by closing the Dairy Science Center.
Instead, the University should work to maintain the center
and continue the tradition of educating A&M students about
the work involved in dairy farming.
This University was created to educate the people of
Texas, and by closing the doors of the center, future Texas
dairy farmers will lose the ability to gain hands-on experience
that they would have otherwise received. Without this center,
A&M loses a part of its connection to the history and future
of Texas farmers. The ‘A’ in A&M used to stand for agricul
ture, but with tighter budgets, the ‘A’ is in danger of losing its
meaning.
Students who are passionate about the center and all its
positive effects on their future need to join together and find
a way to save it. This is the time when the future of the
University is decided. On one hand, there is an average uni
versity without the center, and on the other hand, by keeping
the center, A&M remains a unique and distinctive institution
of higher learning. A&M cannot lose the traditions that set it
apart from everyone else.
The opportunities that the Dairy Science Center provides
cannot be lost. This is not only the maintenance of a tradition;
it is the protection of future possibilities for students who can
gain valuable experience by working at the Dairy Science
Center.
THE BATTALION
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor in Chief
Managing Editor
Opinion Editor
News Editor
Brandie Liffick
Sommer Bunce
George Deutsch
Sarah Walch
Asst. News
Member
Member
Member
Melissa Sullivan
Rolando Garcia
Matt Maddox
Brieanne Porter
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words or
less and include 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 submit
ted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may be
mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
77843-1111. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com
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THE AFTERNOON!
Radio News
i the newsroom of
battalion
is and community news
1:57 p.m.
mday through Friday
KAMU-FM 90.9
College Station / Bryan
Public need not shy away from topics addressed in ‘The Vagina Monologues’
U "TTbet you’re worried. I was worried ... I
I was worried about what we think
Aabout vaginas, and even more worried
about what we don’t think about them.” So
begins Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina
Monologues,” which was performed this week
at Rudder Auditorium. It created quite a con
troversy last year when it was performed for
the first time on the Texas A&M campus, and
this year has proven to be no different. There
remains to be a large, underground, anti-Vagina Monologue
movement coupled with those who are too ignorant to look past
the “V-word” in the title and appreciate the production for its
raw display of femininity, sexuality, self-appreciation, or lack
of it.
Don’t be ignorant.
As far as many are concerned, anything with the word “vagi
na” flagrantly displayed for the public to see is too crude for an
ordinary person’s taste. The word is immediately associated
with sex, and since many do not like to openly discuss sex,
using the word “vagina” is just as taboo as talking about sex
itself. There cannot be a more perfect example of an invalid
hypothetical syllogism than the one above.
From the title alone, there are a million and one assumptions
to be made about the actual premise of the play. In reality, there
is only one principle behind “The Vagina Monologues.” This is
not some raunchy, vulgar outlet to promote sex, but rather part
of Eve Ensler’s crusade to wipe out the shame and embarrass
ment that many women still associate with their bodies or their
sexuality, as The New York Times wrote in its 1999 review of
the play.
While many of the monologues are funny, such as the one
that asks different women what their vaginas would say if they
could talk, there are also those that deal with more difficult top
ics such as rape and subjugation.
A particular monologue, entitled “My Vagina was My
Village” was written for the tens of thousands of women in
Bosnia who have been raped as a “systematic tactic of war,”
according to Eve Ensler’s introduction for this piece. It is lit
tered with imagery, sexual and violent, yet is done in such a
manner as to convey the underlying significance of its theme.
For those who say this piece is vulgar and distasteful, they
are doing nothing more than blatantly ignoring the vulgarity of
rape itself, as well as the physical and emotional scars left
behind after the crime is committed. Other monologues are pure
shockers. Ears will burn, cheeks will flush, and a few may even
avert their eyes. Why is it that we can discuss politics, religion,
and even sports without thinking twice about it, yet blush at the
mere fact of discussing our own bodies? We know our bodies
better than we will ever know about the intrinsic workings of
today’s political systems, but we refuse to talk about them.
“The Vagina Monologues” ends with a powerful piece called
“I Was There in the Room.” It has nothing to do with sex - not
directly, anyway - and everything to do with vaginas. It
describes an account of a woman witnessing childbirth in all its
agony and glory. “The heart is able to forgive and repair. It can
change its shape to let us in. It can expand to let us out. So can
the vagina.” It adds a tender touch to an edgy production and
makes us think about the overall role of the vagina beyond a
sexual connotation.
Get your ticket for tonight’s show and enjoy.
Melissa Fried is a sophomore
international studies major.
FRIED
Portrayal of after-party
incident wrong
In response to Sarah Watch's Feb. 24
article:
I am upset at the way The Battalion is
dragging out the events of the after
party from this past weekend. First of
all, the main story was very opinionated.
Sure there were 6,000 people present,
but not each and everyone of those
6,000 were causing a disturbance.
As for this being ironic to the so-called
"ghetto party," there is a difference
between a "ghetto party" and a party
described as ghetto. There was not any
intention on the part of many students
at this school for the events to happen
like they did, but that does not mean
that we are playing into the stereotypes.
People chose to place stereotypes on
things that they have seen through the
media, but until you experience it, you
Will not know. And as for this being a
diversity issue, you should thank your
MAIL CALL
lucky stars that other African-Americans
want to grace this campus for an event
that brings everyone together because
of the 7,000 plus attendees, most of
them were not A&M students.
Disagreements don't just exist within
one group of people; just look at the
diverseness of our country and the dis
agreement we have with a foreign
country. Is this a racial disagreement?
There are people who believe that
one group may lack social graces, but
there is no evidence that anybody will
not retaliate when provoked, regardless
of race or gender. One incident does not
make or break a standard for social
behavior.
Tyechia P. Williams
Class of 2005
Reading the recent articles and mail
call letters printed in The Battalion con
cerning Greek Olympiad, I am amazed
at how the media is portraying this as a
negative, life-threatening event.
If the writers of these articles were at
the Greek Olympiad show, then 1 would
not question their credibility. Though
one student that was interviewed,
Melloy Baker, other students that were
in attendance were not questioned to
get a more general consensus of how
the party went.
I was at Greek Olympiad and at no
point in the hours that I was there did 1
fear for my life and I didn't see bullets
flying in the air at all. All the 6,000 peo
ple who were in attendance weren't
under the influence of drugs and/or
alcohol like the newspaper portrayed it.
Yes, maybe some fights broke out on
the dance floor because someone
stepped on another person's foot, but
that should be expected if more than
5,000 people are on the dance floor at
the same time.
I ask that everyone who wasn't at the
Greek Olympiad hold their negative
comments. The best thing to do is to
ask the attendees, if at any point in their
Greek Olympiad experience, feared for
their lives.
Ebun Akindele
Class of 2004