The Michigan Daily--Tuesday, February 6, 1979-Page 5 ? r Y I "Q is preserved on 36mm WORFIN AVAILABLE AT: The Michigan Daily Student Publications Bidq. 420 Maynard Street AND Graduate Library Engineering & Computer Science Majors DON'T MISS TALKING TO THE HUGHES RECRUITER VISITING YOUR CAMPUS SOON. Contact your placement office for interview dates. - HUGHES Cweating a new wo N with electronics AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER M/F d _ f . Doily Photo by BRAD BENJAMIN Hmm... What have we here?' Jeff Cristle finds himself head and shoulders above his father, Pete, sooner than he expected. Russian satire ives on By JOE VARGO Russian satirist Emil Draitser told a crowd of ,50 yesterday in the Modern Languages Building that, contrary to what some Americans believe, humor and satire are alive and well in his country., In his address, sponsored by the Cen- ter for Russian and Eastern European Studies, Draitser said two kinds of satire exist in Russia-the country he left in 1974. "THERE IS OFFICIAL satire, which the government needs to fight red tape, mismanagement," and the bureaucracy," he said. An example of official saitre, he said, would be an at- tack on alcoholism: "But a government official would never be personally ac- cused of alcoholism unless it was deemed necessary by upper echelon party members." But, according to Daitser, the majority of Soviet satire is forbidden by *the government. "Anything that criticizes the regime is not permitted to appear in official publications," Draitser said. "Therefore, most critical satire exists only in oral forms. Satire is a relief of distress. It is used to comment on what is going on in the country. There is no area where it is restricted." DRAITSER, WHO teaches Russian at the University of Califonria (Los Angeles), said the themes of forbidden Soviet satire have not changed since the Communist regime came into power. "Everything that is forbidden is in the people's mouths,"he stated. The government is especially critical of satire that criticizes high gover- nment officials, Draitser said. "Political satire existsrin the un- derground only," he said. "Anyone caught criticizing a high public official can be denounced to the KGB (Soviet secret police)," he said. "They would be considered politically unstable and there could be trouble for them. But the punishment is less than it was 20 years ago. During Stalin's regime, anyone caught telling a joke critical of ,Stalin was subject to a ten year jail sentence." Although the government has reduced penalties against satirists, Draitser doesn't believe they are com- pletely safe from attack. "It isn't likely the facilities of the KGB would be used to catch satirists," he said. "There are too many powerful writers outside the Soviet Union." BUT THE forbidden satire continues. "The need for satire is greater in the Soviet Union than it is in the U.S.," said Draitser. "Satire is a form of criticism." Draitser added that although satirists have a large and receptive audience, they do not influen- ce public opinion. "Public opinion is made by the government," he said. Draitser left Russia for several reasons. "I had no future in Russia," he said. "I came to understand the nature of society and of the regime. I didn't see any development of my works," said Draitser, who was denied the right to publish for two years, because he criticized a high government official. After leaving the Soviet Union, Drait- ser immigrated to the United States. Since then he has writtentwo books, "Contemporary Soviet Satire" and "Forbidden Laughter," a collection of Soviet underground jokes. Court sets new porn standards Engineering Research In Electronics CAMPUS INTERVIEWS FEBRUARY 8 1979 COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION HANDLING Systems Group Operations An Equal Opportunity Employer a Male/Female Melbourne, Florida LANSING (UPI)-The Michigan Supreme Court yesterday decided it had waited long enough for lawmakers to plug holes in state pornography laws and set down its own standards for judges to use in deciding obscenity cases. The high court's unusual move came in one of 13 rulings handed down yesterday. IN OTHER KEY decisions, the supreme court said judges must hold open hearings in determining whether to close a trial to the press and public,, and persons confined in mental hospitals under the old Criminal Sexual Psychopath Act cannot be tried for, their original crimes after their release. The court's 5-2 ruling in the obscenity case is expected to give law enfor- cement agencies some muscle in shut- ting down pornography-related businesses. Michgan has not had an enforceable statute regulating the dissemination of porgnography among consenting adults for nearly four years. THE COURT SAID First Amendment free speech rights do no apply to por- nography, even among consenting adults. All seven justices conceded that Michigan's current anti-smut law is un- constitutionally vague. But the court "reluctantly" took it upon itself to put teeth into the law by interpreting the statute's broad language into specific terms paralleling standards set down by the U.S. Supreme Court. aIt said, however, it would have preferred the legislature to have resolved the problem, rather than have the courts step in. UNDER THE NEW court standards, materials would be obscene if "the average person, applying contem- porary community standards, would find that the work taken as a whole ap- peals to the prurient interest" and if it "lacks serious literary, artistic, policital or scientific value." The high court's decision on public and press rights to open trials stemmed fromthe case of a Macomb County school teacher who eventually was acquitted of charges of sexual miscon- duct involving a 10-year-old student. According to the court, the defense secretary asked that the public and press be excluded from the trial. The prosecutor did not object and the motion was granted by Circuit Court Judge Edward Gallagher. Also decided by the high court yesterday were two cases involving former mental patients. VISIT American ATHEIST Museum Prides Creek Park Entrance RR 3, Petersburg, IN 4756Y SEND FOR FREE-INFO Ff. Lauderdale Spring * Breakout I 'hen you fly with us, r2nd Vegas Fiesta Night at c DIlSCO D9ANCE CONTrEST Wednesday Evening, Feb. 7 1 st PRIZE - 3 Days & 2 Nights Lodging for 2 in Las Vegas. 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