OPINION ~he Michigan Daily Page 4 Tuesday, April 2, 1985 The Michigan Daily Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Responsibility in the 'me age"' Vol. XCV, No. 144 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board - Sexist advertising A BILLBOARD on Main St. has been the center of a great deal of controversy much of the last month. The billboard, which depicts a woman reclining in a dark evening dress, reads, "Feel the Velvet Canadian." It first came into the news when two women, Jennifer Akfirat and Mary Jane Emanoil; were arrested and charged with defacing it. They are charged with graffittying the sign and writing, among other things, "Objects Never, Women Forever." In subsequent weeks, there have been protests and pickets in front of the billboard, calling for removal of the billboard and exoneration of the women on the grounds that they were threatened by the overt sexist tone of the picture. . Although there is a city ordinance which governs the size and location of billboards, the Velvet Touch billboard is not covered because it was erected prior to the ordinance. According to Dana Dever, who serves on the com- mission, the sign would violate the or- dinance because it is too large for its location. The question involved in the issue is not so much of size or location, however, as it is of blatant sexism in advertising. Sexist advertising depicts women as sexual objects in the hopes of imbuing their products with a sense of promiscuity. Although it may be an ef- fective method of promoting sales, sexist advertising nonetheless violates the rights of women everywhere who can be made to feel-and be treated- as much like objects as the women who are depicted. It is difficult to establish a standard for determining what constitutes sexist advertising. Nevertheless, a scantily- clad woman in a seductive pose asking passersby to "Feel the Velvet," is most certainly sexist and exploitive. In response to the protests over the billboard, its owners should have it changed. However, complaints in previous years have brought no action. The protests around the billboard point out the need for-and should in- spire-legislation governing the con- tent of billboards. Considering com- plaints in the past have had no effect on the owner's policy, the protests of the women are justified. Until such legislation is enacted, ad- vertisers and corporations should be made to hear complaints with their ex- ploitive advertising tactics. Letter writing, picketing, lobbying, and in some circumstances defacement, are all appropriate means of working to rid the city of such exploitive advertising. Akfirat and Emanoil should be suppor- ted for their actions, and the public should begin working to establish legislation governing billboard con- tent. By Dennis G. Terez LastmThursday, President Reagan proclaimed a new economic "age of the en- trepreneur, the age of the individual." That same day on Wall Street he rang in the year of the bull, although it really is the year of the ox. Later that day, he spoke to college studen- ts at St. John's University where he received enthusiastic applause and suffered not a single vocal complaint when he mentioned that "some of you are concerned about our proposed limits on financial aid for students." That same week, the President won an in- credible political victory by receiving congressional approval for 21 more MX Peacekeeper missiles, or 210 more nuclear. warheads, at a cost of $1.5 billion. The President had cause to celebrate as the week ended. It was a wonderful week for him. He had hoodwinked the American public nott just once but at least three times in a single week. And it just wasn't the common man on the street who he had hoodwinked. No, the President this time claimed avictory over the best and the brightest.'This President, despite the criticisms for his lack of intellectual in- sight and acumen, is no dummy. Indeed, President Reagan, or any President'for that matter with any felicity in the English language, will always receive wide applause when he speaks of the "new age of the individual," because that nicely appeals to the selfish aspects of the human spirit. And that is especially true in the age of the so-called "me generation." Language like that shows absolutely no courage at all. The more difficult task would be to declare this the new age of international cooperation. An age not dominated by the selfish spirits of the few who happen to make it to the top and boastfully declare so, but an age led by in- dividuals who realize that great respon- sibility, at times global in nature, accom- panies'great wealth and talent. The age of the individual can and should no longer survive the nuclear age. For whether President Reagan or any of his followers likes it or not, Terez is a third-year law student. the destinies of American citizens are lined to the destinies of the French, the Germans, the Soviets, and all of the other peoples of this world by more than just the nuclear thread. As to the college students' . failure to speak up when the President spoke of cutting federal financial aid and instead giving him a warm welcome, I suppose a recent poll helps explain this one. Not surprisingly, the poll in- dicated that one of the lowest priorities of college students today is the need for a per- sonal philosophy, while one of the highest priorities was the need to become an authority in one's field. Knowledge does not often liberate but instead imposes new bur- dens of responsibility on the educated. But before you can understand what those bur- dens are, you have to stop buying your Dress for Success books, stop putting together your resumes, stop gunning for the top, and start taking time out just to think about what good you can achieve on the face of this earth. The St. John's story amazes me, because here we have a group of educated individuals who have not even taken the time out to discover their own self-interest. Their pursuit of whatever it istthey are after is totally blind. The results of their priorities are showing. You have no philosophy; you have no direc- tion. And when you have no direction, you don't have to worry about fulfilling any responsibility that may accompany your position in this society. It'sanot only the "me generation," it's the "'irresponsible genefation." The MX victory for President Reagan only confirms in my mind that educated people who couldn't see the forest for the trees when they were in less stressful positions continue to do so when it really counts. There is ab- solutely no sane explanation for this further arms build-up. The President argues that it is necessary for his negotiating position and to strengthen deterrence (although many analysts believe that his Strategic Defense Initiative destroys the deterrence theory altogether). If that is so, then why has he already planned to ask for 48 more Peacekeepers next year? (Is the President perhaps predicting a year in advance that the negotiations will not be successful?) Why is he violating every negotiating rule in the book by nearly begging the new Soviet leader to come together for a summit? An American soldier is killed by a Soviet soldier under rather suspicious circumstances and the President's response? All the more reason why we need a summit. Somehow that doesn't match the vitriolic language the President used when he wasn't so interested in a sum- mit, such as when Flight 007 was shot down or when he referred to the Soviet Union as that "evil, empire." And why is it that the President gets angry when the Soviets use the negotations in Geneva as a political weapon to support their position (by mock pull-outs and the like), and yet Max Kampelman can be called back from Geneva and stop the negotiation process just so he can shuttle between the White House and Congress to make sure that the President's week-long vic- tories are complete? Ronald Reagan continues to enjoy the political honeymoon that began in 1980 because he is viewed as a "nice guy." The Democrats lost the election in 1984 because they have yet to find a candidate who is a "nice guy". In a recent interview, David Stockman remarked that the entire attitude in Washington has changed, because no one now dares to propose a new federally funded program. The budget director is .only half correct. No new social aid programs, but $1.5 billion would have gone quite far to help the needy. And if you still think he is a nice guy, then why is he so worried about the contras in Nicaragua when the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and also in Central America, Haiti, goes practically unnoticed? America, wake up., You are militarizing yourself to the point of no return.. And at a cost that neither you nor the world can bear. You are a great Nation. But history has taught us at least one lesson which you have hopefully not forgotten: With greatness comes responsibility. For God's sake, be responsible again. Wasserman I Blowing the budget L AST NOVEMBER, President Reagan received the consent of the American voters to remain at the helm for four more years. He won the election by emphasizing the oversized Federal Government. Before the elec- tion, he optimistically promised that the Federal deficit would be trimmed in the next year to an estimated $172 billion. Instead, it climbed to ap- proximately $223.23 billion. This was a miscalculation of $50 billion. These deficits are pushing the coun- try closer. and closer to an economic doomsday. Last week, the Commerce Department released figures of alar- ming significance. They show last year's foreign trade deficit to be ap- proximately $101 billion. In addition, the figures reveal that the U.S. is currently being forced to borrow abroad. Usually, this would not merit much concern, but the U.S. being for- ced to borrow more and faster than the most debt-riddled countries such as Brazil and Mexico! Perhaps the most ominous consequence of this un- precedented trend is that the United States, for the first time since 1914, would become a debtor nation. This means that we will owe more to nations abroad than they owe to the U.S. The most obvious source of the problem is that the current ad- ministration is on a shopping spree. It collects debts causing three worrisome things to happen. The first arises from the strong dollar abroad. It promotes greater foreign investment in the U.S. Therefore, if the economy begins showing any signs of stagnation, which Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker is warning may happen soon, foreign investments will soon disap- pear leaving an extremely unstable situation at home. Second, in an effort to finance these deficits and continue federal spending, the government is turning to both the domestic and foreign sectors. As a result, increases in interest rates and the crowding out of the consumer market continues. And third, foreign products are becoming relatively cheap in the U.S. This can only mean that soon Americans will be wearing more Taiwanese shirts, listening to more Japanese walkmen and buying more Brazilian steel. U.S. producers will soon become incapable of competing with foreign products that continue to flood the U.S. market. Paradoxically, President Reagan remains optimistic. He seems to believe that his spending practices are saving the economy. Unfortunately, the youth of America stand in line to inherit these staggering deficits tomorrow. 4.4D/ES AlP 65N7/.MEA/- CC -lez/D P/NS/DiG AWO 7bSSp/NTo S/HARK.-/A/FgSfgED l./T/CA4. WA7L k -P CC Ye N\V/ATC/(ASES Ikwva'F~Ep/K OAhE OF /16no /J'o1cY FAWA5. V I fGST! IS KOU YET?z S0 V - I Letters Voting i To the Daily: The article, "Council Majority Hinges on Mayoral Race," in the Friday, March 29, Daily leaves me appalled, outraged, and horrified. Is Republican Richard Hadler actually a mayoral can- Forget not the past To the Daily: Professor Will Bigelow doesn't have to apologize for the engineering curriculum ("Engineers Face a New Direc- tion," 29 March). Anyone finding thermodynamics thrilling has as much right to a specialized education as does the English major or the musician. Professor Bigelow does have to apologize, however, for his remarks con- 4A C . s always moral and ethical didate? Hadler stated, "It's legal for students to register and vote, obviously, but I don't think it's morally and ethically proper for an undergraduate student who is going to be here one or two years to be voting in something that could set the political and BLOOM COUNTY IVA 661m, 01~5 AA 5 YOUWM i&~29Y. ANA NV brAX COWVTY, MK. P OPW IS1 Mft* OF5 ULi1iNWT 0,cJhtOAP! Ka TAW I MCKi N(71 p CNEKG i economic agenda for some years vote for to come." this sug, I donot know of any U.S. Amendi citizen, over 18 years of age and States C registered to vote, who does not deserve to vote for a moral or ethical reason. I do question whether it is moral or ethical to by B ° ii I a candidate who makes ggestion in violation of nent 26 of the United onstitution. - Carol Cage March 29 erke Breathed WUAW R'xoir A 15 5M A co W4R1AFt. I! _" .. in" OM Y! 50 MIYB6 JlM ~ 11grtF AM TY AX.4 EP AV 17i AIR IN SPRIlN6... 'ay Kwy p m Au Aur r U ' ~~ ~I ~'17.1