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THE
■ candidates for Class oil
the ballot for votingMaitll
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9 • Tuesday, March 25, 200'
zeaux and Brooke
Howdy! We are privilg;
mnounce our candidacy for
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- bonds to the University
ears to come.
EDITORIAL
— i in. — - —
A CLEAR CHOICE
Cheatham best represents
students’ interests
With a crowded field of candidates jockeying to be student body
president, students must sort through a torrent of campaign flyers
and similar-sounding platforms before casting their ballots. Luke
Cheatham, with his willingness to take action and his constructive
advocacy on students' behalf, stands above the rest.
Student government has often disappointed in its representation
of students, and a glance at the other candidates underscores why.
The four candidates with extensive experience in student govern
ment have said that students voted against fee increases in the
February referendum because they were not adequately informed.
Students deserve a representative who will keep the student body
informed, voice concerns to University leaders and not serve simply
as administrators' liaison to students.
Although lacking in student government experience, Cheatham
has a proven leadership record with results. Unity Project's off-cam
pus bonfire was a controversial undertaking, but Cheatham perse
vered to put on a successful event focused on safety, inclusion and
student participation. Cheatham will bring such energetic leader
ship to student government.
Cheatham said he will reinvigorate diversity initiatives by ending
the separatist attitude that isolates ethnic groups from each other
and will renew an aborted attempt by student government to pro
vide a student response to Vision 2020. Cheatham, who will con
tinue living in Walton Hall next year, will be accessible to students
in a way other candidates cannot be. Cheatham voted against the
fee increases and said that before students are saddled with tuition
or fee hikes, the University should first demonstrate that it has
improved efficiency and cut expenses.
Student government has little real power, and can only sen/e as a
representative for students, but even this role is often neglected.
Cheatham's advocacy will be a more accurate reflection of students'
views and will, in the long run, be more effective than the lacklus
ter representation of the past. Administrators cannot consider stu
dents views unless student leaders present it to them.
THE BATTALION
Editor in Chief
Managing Editor
Opinion Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD
Brandie Liffick News Editor
Sommer Bunge Asst. News
George Deutsch
Rolando Garcia
Melissa Sullivan
Howdy Fightin' Texas Aj
iss of 2(X)3. Together as air
wish to serve you as
nts. With the three ofusi
together, you can be asf
we will succeed i
, representing you t
you, the Class of
:h with each other. Webefo
bond Aggies share is tl
y makes Texas A
)ol we are all so proud of,
s agents it is our duty tob
bond from never b
The three of us have le
id together by friendship.:
nizations or titles, fo
years and this is why wet*
esent you. We know it is
ie bond that sets ourunivfl
iart from the rest. Weallcf
joined the best, We are
ies, the Aggies are wet
e here to represent the 0
)03.
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
77843-1 1 1 1. Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com
Seeking peace?
Japan, South Korea should initiate talks with Jong II
DAVID
SHOEMAKER
J
i-Mi
W ith the ongoing war in Iraq, the Bush
Administration is preoccupied with win
ning the war and organizing peace. This
will leave precious little time to deal with other
foreign policy issues, particularly those involving
North Korea. American allies in the Far East, pri
marily Japan and South Korea, need to take the
lead in the crisis if they wish to avoid a later
armed confrontation
between North Korea and
the United States.
South Korea and Japan now have an
opportunity to conduct talks with North
Korea without much U.S. pressure
because America’s attention is diverted.
This is the chance, for South Korea espe
cially, to see what they might be able to
accomplish with talks. South Korea’s new
President Roh Moo-hyun is in a
position to serve as mediator
between the United States and
North Korea, as Roh’s relation
ship with North Korea is
stronger than in the past. Both
nations’ diplomats must realize
military arrogance won’t go
unchallenged now with the
“Bush Doctrine” of preemptive
strike. Just ask Iraq.
South Korea and Japan need to
use this time to talk to North Korea and
discuss what they should do in the com
ing months. If Roh or Japanese Prime
Minister Koizumi were to meet with
North Korea’s Kim Jong II, the leaders
could share ideas on how to reach a peaceful agreement with the
United States. President George W. Bush would benefit from know
ing these countries’ expectations if he decides to have discussions
with North Korea.
If North Korea is simply bargaining for respect and food to feed
its starving, for example, Washington might be more inclined to
actually negotiate, assuming North Korea would give up some of its
weapons programs. That is a point South Korea and the Japanese
need to press through talks — that if North Korea is looking for
help, Washington might be pressured into helping, assuming North
Korea offers to do something the United States considers positive
first. But if North Korea continues seeking through weapons of
mass destruction to dominate the Korean peninsula, all nations
involved must realize the depth of the crisis.
i
L
O- i
If the South Koreans and Japanese choose to pursue a dialogue,
they need to express to North Korea the threat it poses to the United
States, South Korea and the rest of the world. According to an arti
cle from BBC.COM, the Japanese have begun diplomatic maneu
vers to make this point clear, as relations are already strained
between North Korea and Japan. In 1999, North Korea agreed to a
Japanese request for a moratorium on long range missile tests after
one was fired directly over Japan, which, according to the article,
led to an agreement where the Japanese would aid North Korea if it
stopped its aggression. But after two short-range missile tests by
North Korea in the past month and rumors that a long-range missile
test would occur soon, the Japanese are threatening to abandon the
pact. In considering abandoning
the agreement, called the
Pyongyang Declaration,
government spokesman
Yasuo Fukada stated,
“Once we abrogate it, we lose a
forum for dialogue,” which is not
what the Japanese, or the rest of the
world, want to have happen.
The Japanese would likely be the
most threatened country after the United
States if North Korea achieved opera
tional nuclear ballistic missiles.
Though Japan has clearly been
telling North Korea its nuclear
and missile programs are a
threat to the world. South
Korea needs to stress this
harder as well. If both coun
tries increase diplomatic pressure on North Korea, perhaps they can
push the country into some kind of agreement to limit weapons pro
grams for increased monetary aid. If nothing else, Japan and South
Korea serve as a counterbalance to a harder American line while the
United States is focusing most of its attention on the crisis in Iraq.
If South Korea and Japan take the lead now in engaging North
Korea, they could possibly come up with an agreement and present
it to the United States, allowing Washington to keep its focus on the
Middle East and allowing them to first address their own concerns.
These conditions might encourage North Korea to accept an agree
ment where they give up something without losing much face. In
any case, if the South Koreans and the Japanese wish to pursue a
dialogue with North Korea to achieve a peaceful settlement, now is
the time.
David Shoemaker is a junior
management major.
Graphic by Radhika Thirunarayanan.
Columnist supported racial stereotypes
Article in Vanity Fair was racially insensitive even though attempting satire
A n article in last month’s issue of
Vanity Fair magazine angered
many Hispanics and Latinos
across the United States and incited
Texas A&M's Committee for the
Awareness of Mexican-American
Culture to host a two-day program in
response to it earlier this month.
CAMAC concluded its program with a
panel that addressed the negative
images of Latinos in the media, how
these stereotypes are created and how to deal
with them. The article in question was in poor
taste and only furthered stereotypes of
Hispanics.
In the issue, columnist Dame Edna Everage
replied to a reader's letter asking her opinion
of the Spanish language and its use in the real
world.
The Sacramento Bee reported that her
response included the statement, “Forget
Spanish... As for everyone's speaking it, what
twaddle! Who speaks it that you are really des
perate to talk to? The help? Your leaf blower?”
According to whitepriviledge.com, an
antiracist resource, an apology issued by the
editors of Conde Nast Publications stated.
“Dame Edna Everage is a fictitious
character created and portrayed by the
Australian entertainer and author Barry
Humphries. Edna is a caricature of a
certain type of small-minded, socially
ambitious, vaguely upper-class per
son... Our intent, in short, was to mock
the very ethnic stereotypes that some
have accused us of reinforcing.”
The apology goes on to say, “We
are asking those who feel offended by
this piece to forgive us for our insensitivity.
We also ask them to consider the context —
the fact that these statements were meant to be
read ironically — and to take into account the
fact that it was never, ever our goal to dispar
age or insult any ethnic group.”
While Dame Edna may be an imaginary
person and her advice was meant to be taken
satirically and not at face value, as The Bee
puts it, “The point is, intentionally or not,
Dame Edna snubbed the nation's huge
Spanish-speaking population — and they aren't
laughing.”
Those familiar with Dame Edna may have
understood the true intentions of the article as
a satire against racial stereotypes, but obvious
ly, they are not the majority of readers. The
formal apology says her advice is not meant to
be taken seriously, but it was easily miscon
strued by a number of people who took
offense, including A&M’s CAMAC. Issac
Faz, co-founder of Vida Social, a network for
young professional Latinos in Dallas, told The
Dallas Morning News, “I think you can be
funny about race and things in general. But
when I got to the bottom of the article... and
they were being very specific, that's when I got
offended. You don't want to reinforce stereo
types.”
Many people continue to hold negative
stereotypes of other cultures, religions and
races based on ignorance. While Dame Edna
may have been attempting to show the ridicu
lousness of these attitudes, the article unwit
tingly projected them to millions of readers.
According to muybueno.net, “Satire is a deadly
weapon. In the hands of the semi-skilled, it has
a tendency to misfire. And when that happens,
there's often a lot of damage. That's what the
editors of Vanity Fair magazine discovered....”
Satire, irony and sarcasm are literary tech
niques that are often difficult to implement so
that their purpose is clear to readers. Many
people just do not get it and quickly take
offense. As muybueno.net states, “Successful
satire is aimed at powerful individuals or
social attitudes. It is understood by its audi
ence for what it is and its literary merit. Vanity
Fair's item failed on all three counts: It was
hurtful, bound to be misunderstood, and, obvi
ously, lacked literary value.”
If Vanity Fair and its writers want to help
erase racism and stereotypes, it should go
about it in a different way. Articles featuring a
variety of cultures and the influential figures
who are a part of them would be a positive
way to inform readers about the colorful and
diverse world in which we live, and how all
different cultures make great contributions to
it. Humor and satire are obviously not success
ful methods for ridding people's minds of
racism, as they often backfire when they are
misunderstood.
Journalists must be extremely careful in
choosing the way in which they write about
such touchy topics. The apology from Vanity
Fair is a start, but such situations need to be
prevented from occurring in the first place.
d Cliff Williams
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Candidates' platforms
disregard administration
I am deeply concerned about some of
the comments that candidates have
been making about the administration
and faculty at Texas A&M. Students are
not the only Aggies in Aggieland.
A&M would not be where it is today if
it were not for the outstanding job that
the administration and faculty have
done. We should be thanking the
administration, the professors, the
maintenance staff, the custodial staff,
UPD, PITS, and all other people who
are associated with the upkeep and
management of Texas A&M. They
deserve much more respect than they
are getting from some students and
candidates. We cannot be so naive as to
think that we as students are the only
People who make this school.
Candidates, how do you expect to get
anything worthwhile done if you are
too busy butting heads with administra
tion, rather than working with them to
further not only the students of A&M
but.all Aggies?
James Cleland
Class of 2004
Troops, elected officials
deserve more respect
In response to Jonny Havens' March
20 column:
Mr. Havens, you were correct that
Bonfire brought all groups on campus
together to show the Aggie Spirit. Some
of your subsequent points, however,
misjudged the reality of what it will take
to restore this tradition to campus, and
the qualifications and motives of some
of those who seek to do so.
Contrary to what you wrote Thursday,
MAIL CALL
working with the administration is not a
small and insignificant step. It is the
only way that Bonfire will return to cam
pus. Most Aggies realize that the foot
ball team, yell leaders, Reveille, and the
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band are an integral
part of the Bonfire tradition. They will
appear only at a University-sanctioned
Bonfire.
You were equally incorrect when you
maintained that students working to
restore the tradition have neither expe
rience nor an understanding of the tra
dition. Both of the co-chairs as well as
several other board members of the
Bonfire Coalition were extensively
involved in Bonfire. Our officers have
been or are members of the Corps of
Cadets, Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity
and Walton Hall, just to name a few.
They worked diligently in the construc
tion of Texas Aggie Bonfire and have
passed their knowledge, stories and
camaraderie on to other members. We
will also stage educational events
throughout the semester to keep
Bonfire alive!
By quoting an attorney who repre
sents plaintiffs in litigation related to the
1999 tragedy, you misrepresented the
legal realities that Dr. Cates faced when
he decided to postpone a decision on
the future of Bonfire. Trial lawyers fre
quently make self-serving public state
ments. Our president acted on legal
advice from attorneys who do not try
their cases in the court of public opin
ion, those who work for the Texas A&M
System and the State of Texas.
Finally, announcing Nov. 18 as
Bonfire Remembrance Day was not a
political diversion. It was one of our
five goals for this academic year. That
designation gives proper respect to
those lost, injured and emotionally
scarred on Nov. 18, 1999. It was
important and necessary.
Although we're all disappointed that
Laurel Franck is a sophomore
English major.
Aggie Bonfire will not return to campus
in 2003, most Aggies realize that Dr.
Gates represents the best hope for
restoring this great tradition. He
deserves our support.
Ryan Kirkpatrick, Class of 1999
Bonfire Coalition Co-Chair
Marc Barringer, Class of 1992
Bonfire Coalition Co-Chair
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 submitted 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: mail-
call@thebatt.com. Attachments are
not accepted.