Snatwunv. May 11. 1974
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
t %A' ' J- Y
daily
dialogue
sexploitation
To The Daily:
WE, concerned organizations
of the Ann Arbor community
condemn the growing tendency
for the use of sexually oppres-
sive cinema for financial bene-
fit. We find unacceptable such
films' portrayal of women or
men as sex objects, homosexual-
ity as sick or inherently unsatis-
fying, and rape or sexual vio-
lence as natural, primal de-
sires. Such presentation of
warped attitudes toward s e x
must be differentiated f r o m
mere explicit sex. While the
latter is not sexist in and of
itself, the former tends to re-
inforce the myths that b o c k
neaningful relationships between
people.
Within the last few weeks,
there have been some prime
examples of what we find ob-
jectionable. To start with, New
World Film Co-op, an alleged-
ly radical organization, h a s
sponsored the showing of two
obviously sexually abusive films,
"Behind the Green Door" and
"The Devil in Miss Jones".
Both of these films promoted
rather obvious myths concern-
ing human sexuality. Lesbian
sex scenes in both movies serv-
ed to illustrate not the suppor-
tive and feminist aspects of les-
bianism, but rather that lesbian-
ism runs a poor second to he-
terosexual sex, and the glorifi-
cation of the male penis in par-
ticular. The movie "Behind the
Green Door" helped to perpe-
tuate the rape mentality by
suggesting that women actually
desire their own rape. T h e
movie "Straw Dogs'", presented
as a benefit for the Indochina
Peace Campaign (in coopera-
tion with Friends of Newsreel)
nvas another example. In a
handout publicizing the event,
Newsweek was quoted as ap-
plauding the movie because:
"It flawlessly expresses his
(the director's' primitive vis-
ion . . . that manhood requires
rites of violence . . . that a
man must conquer other mens
to prove his courage and hold
on to his womar."
The brutal -sae in the mvi
was described as
"a masterful piece of erotic
cinema, a flawless actin ot
of the female fantasy of at-
solute violation."
We find this particularly ou
rageous because this film and
the accompanying publicity was
presented under the name f toe
Indochina Peace Campaign. An
organization such as I.P.C. has
an obligation to condemn su hn
presentations which advocate
the very same mentality which
was so responsible for the vio-
lence of the Vietnam War, par-
ticularly the overt sexual vio-
lence towards Vietnamese wo-
men,
THE SAME weekend "0 _ e p
Throat" was shown as a ene-
fit for the Bullard Action Now
Group (BANG). This would
seem to ilustrate State Sena-
tor Perry Bullard's lack of re-
sponsibility in assisting t h is
community's effort to combat
sexual oppression.
Another allegedly radical or-
ganization, Friends of N e w s-
reel, has also shirked its respon-
sibility towards the progressive
movement. Their presentation
of movies such as "Prime Cut'.-
helps perpetuate the commo:
Hollywood treatment of women
as property.
While not questioning the fi-
nancial instability of such
groups, we believe that if such
sexually abusive media is re-
quired to fulfill those needs,
then there is inherently some-
thing wrong with the organiza-
tional structure.
This criticism should rot be
confused with the repressive at-
tempts by the Regents of the
University of Michigan to poli-
tically and financially c ntrol
campus film groups. We are
rather calling for the vsnntary
e'd to the presentation of such
sexually ar -re films.
-Ann Arbor Free People's
Clinic
Ann Arbor Health Care
Collective
Ann Arbor Sun
American Veterans Movement
--Ann Arbor Chapter
Feminists in Struggle
Together (FIST)
Gay Awareness Women's
Kollective (GAWK)
Iman Rights Party
Radical Student Union
Community Center Coordinat-
ing Council (C4)
Representing:
Drug Help
Ozone House
Community Switchboard
Creative Arts Workshop
Community Center Project
Ann Arbor Student Movement
Herself
alternative
To The Daily:
FOR THOSE of you (mostly
faculty) who have been pres-
sured into donating to the Saint
Joseph Mercy Hospital Building
Fund by professional hard sell
tactics such as slick radio ads,
smooth newspaper ads, flashy
bumper stickers & posters, or
more subtly by your boss, your
banker, or your organization
president, I would like to offer
an alternative. -
I would like to remind you
that if you will donate the
amount of money asked by
Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital
Building Fund (SJMHBF) to the
Summit or Packard Street Med-
ical Clinics, the return on every
dollar invested (the amount
of medical care that one dollar
can purchase) will be far great-
er with nearly 100 per cent of
that dollar reaching people in
the form of direct medical care
and services. On the contrary,
the dollar donated to SJMHBF
will he eaten up by the archi-
tects, the contractors, the ce-
ment companies, and the fancy
equipment manufacturers. If
you want to donate to improved
medical care, donate to Sum-
mit and Packard Clinics. If
you want to donate to the con-
struction industry, donate to
SJMHBF.
I know that Summit and Pack-
ard Street Clinics need y o u r
dollars desperately. I also know
that Washtenaw County needs
Summit and Packard Street
Clinics because they provide
the only low-cost, comprehen-
sive, neighborhood health care
in this county, and that the me-
dical care at these clinics is far
superior to that available at
Saint Joseph's Walk-In Clines
or at any emergency room facil-
ities.
THE NEED for Summit and
Packard and the Free People's
Clinic to provide care is greater
than ever, especially now that
SJMH is definitely moving
away from the Ann Arbor cons-
munity. The SJMH Walkan
Clinic is a good idea, and is
one of the necessary conditions
complied to before SJMH was
given regional approval to re-
locate outside the center of
population; unfortunately, SJMII
Walk-In Clinic is not meeting
the needs of low income persons.
For example, a 20 minute visit
(after waiting one hour) costs
$20.00 as my personal billing
can prove. The charge is $S.00
for a physician, $5.00 for the
Clinic Fee, $5.00 for lab-work,
and the extra $5.00 is probably
for the building fund.
Donations can be sent direct-
ly to those clinics in care of Dr.
Edward Pierce, and Dr. Gerald
Walden. Both of these men are
unaware of my attempts to seek
funds for their clinics; however,
I would like to invite them, the
community boards of both clin-
ics, and all persons who believe
in quality medical care at the
primary level to dip deep into
their pockets and donate to these
clinics. You wil be getting your
money's worth. The SJMH build-
ing will be paid for by the fi-
nance companies, bonds, and
the higher cost of medical care
over a long period of time, but
Stmnmit and Packard need your
dollars now. Please help main-
tain quadity, low-cost, neighbor-
hood medical care and preven-
tive services in our community.
Please donate to Summit and
Packard Clinics.
-Kathleen M. Fojtik
May 8
amplification
To The Daily:
THE FEAR and paranoia of
Middle America was on display
this past Saturday at the Uni-
versity of Michigan graduation
ceremonies. Political differences
escalated to physical confronta-
tion. While the demonstrators
grabbed many headlines, it was
the police as usual who did most
of the grabbing (and shoving
and beating) at the pleasure of
Middle America's respectables
and their offspring who refused
to walk out of Crisler Arena
and join the protest.
The well-dressed and w e 11-
chauffered came to see an an-
cient tradition. They also came
to hear and encourage the em-
erging white knight of the "si-
lent majority": Gerry F o r d .
The minority was not silent in-
side Crisler. Minorities never
are. It is they who most clearly
perceive controversy and con-
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tradictions in any society. More
than that, they feel it. No won-
der they shout. It is either
shout or be trampled by the si-
lence and its majority!
R o b b e n Fleming obviously
cannot understand this. fle
preaches that "spray paiint on
walls, militant protest demon-
strations and strikes offer no so-
lutions." Has he ever stopped to
think that the person on the
street cannot stand up to a well-
amplified microphone any time
he pleases? Has he ever thought
that not everyone can dispense
platitudes while hiding behind
the title of office, or a 24 per
cent more expensive academic
degree and the artificial respect
that these garner? The average
person has to make his own
time and place to heear. Am-
plification? It is called SHOUT-
ING, Mr. Fleming.
FLEMING'S WORSHIP of ci-
vility and non-controversy lead
him to an even bigger fantasy:
"There are problems which we
will simply have to learn to live
with." Which problems, Robin,
yours or ours? I, frankly, do
not wish to give up the struggle
for solutions that easily. Mil-
lions of oppressed minorities
will not do so, either. That, Mr.
Fleming, is reality.
Shouting will continue until
solutions, not words of pacifica-
tion, are offered and tried. The
silent majority is going to have
to become deaf, if it wants si-
lence -- in Crisler or anywhere
else. Are you listening?
-Bill Gruen
May 7
disappointment
To The Daily:
REPRESENTATIVE Pe r r y
Bullard has been a major pro-
ponent of a House bill to require
meetings of public boards and
commissions to be open to the
public, for which he is to be
highly commended. He has pro-
vided leadership in othe: areas
in efforts to "open up the sys-
tem".
It therefore is a surprise and
a disappointment to learn that
on April 9 he (and Rep. Gary
Owen of Ypsilanti) voted against
an amendment to a campaign
Page Five
financing bill which would have
eliminated a ma'or loophole in
that bill. The loophole wou'd al-
low cash contributions and
fund-raising tickets of less than
$25.00 to go unreported. As a
recent Detroit Free Press edi-
torial pointed out, the amount
may seem small but this lotp-
hole (and another big one which
allows too many varieties of in-
kind contributon.s to escape re-
porting) would allow thousands
and thousands of dollars to flow
into political campaxgns witho-t
being reported.
These loopholes should be
eliminated when the house takes
up the bill again in the weeks
ahead. I hope Representatives
Bullard and Owen will recon-
sider their positions and I urge
their constituents to communi-
cate with them and rcqlues; such
a change in poi tion.
-Marilyn Thayer
May 7
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