Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 27, 1991
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420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109.
747-2814
Edited and Managed
by Students atthe
University of Michigan
ANDREW K. GOTTESMAN
Editor in Chief
STEPHEN HENDERSON
Opinion Editor
Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board.
All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily.
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want to be able to walk wherever I want,
whenever I want, without being attacked,"
said a member of VOICE, Brigham Young
University's Committee to Promote the Status of
Women. For that reason, VOICE has proposed a
campus-wide male-only curfew.
On the puritanical campus that outlaws politi-
cal protests as well as drugs - including coffee,
the feminist group posted 1,000 fliers calling for
the curfew. Under the proposal, which proponents
admit is more of a political statement than a real
policy initiative, no male would be allowed out
after 10 p.m. on Thursdays unless he were accom-
panied by two women escorts.
The suggestion that the University instate a
curfew is offensive: the curfiew, because it would
be ineffecive in reducing rape or in reducing
women's fears about rape; and the scare tactics
used by the group to make their point.
Punishing all men for the transgressions of a
few is ethically reprehensible. It holds an entire
group responsible for the actions of select few. A
men-only curfew would also be considered dis-
criminatory in a legal sense. If curfews were im-
posed on all social groups guilty of committing
crimes, the only people allowed to go out at night
would be infants and toddlers.
Another gaping hole in the men-only curfew
proposed by VOICE is that it would do little or
nothing to create a safer atmosphere for women.
Such a curfew would not significantly reduce the
numberof rapes, since most rapes are committed in
the home, often by friends and acquaintances of the
rape survivors. The proposed curfew does nothing
to discourage such assaults.
And who is to say that the sexual assaults that
are the target of the men-only curfew - those
committed by strangers - will decrease because
of the curfew? Rape is a societal problem that will
not disappear through legislation or the more to-
talitarian tactics advocated by VOICE.
Almost as foolish as the proposal itself are the
methods VOICE is using to make an otherwise
legitimate point. The fact that in many areas, Ann
Arbor included, women are sometimes not safe in
walking alone at night is a tragedy
Clearly BYU's administration has ignored this
critical problem. Groups like VOICE should be
advocating increased security, education, and other
safety measures like improved lighting rather than
causing a stir on campus and in the media to make
their point.
While the intentions of VOICE should be ap-
plauded, its proposal will not achieve its goal of
reducing rape or setting women's fears at ease.
Whether VOICE's goal is to make the streets safer
or merely to create controversy, their stance should
be condemned.
i
Sununu
Bush should find a new Chief of Staff
A mong the powers granted to the president is reputation.
the ability to choose an advisory staff who Sununu's most notable embarrassment to the
serves to assist the president in their duties. The Bush Administration has been his unauthorized
Chief of Staff, a post created by President Dwight and unethical use of government facilities for
Eisenhower, serves as an executive secretary, or- personal interests. His use of military planes to fly
ganizing the president's daily itinerary. The posi- to places unrelated to his duties (a Colorado ski
tion is inherently a powerful one, because the Chief vacation, for instance) caused much embarrass-
of Staff controls who will get to see the president ment for an already-beleaguered Administration.
and when. Throughout his tenure as chief of staff, Sununu's
John Sununu, President Bush's Chief of Staff, actions have indicated that he is motivated by self-
has failed to carry out his duties in good faith. The interest, not the nation's interest. While this is
president should considerthe Chief of Staff's past hardly surprising, it is grounds for his dismissal.
behavior and boot him out of his White House President Bush has more problems than he
suite. Sununu has shown that he no longerdeserves seems to be able to handle without the ones Sununu
the president, and the people's trust. creates. Perhaps if Bush got rid of Sununu, he
Sununu's latest fiasco involved a comment he could better focus on real problems like the nation's
made in an interview, in which he said that Bush stalled economy. Or perhaps he could resolve the
ad-libbed his idea about trying to get banks to inherent conflict in trying to eliminate preferential
lower the interest they charge on credit cards in hiring practices in the federal government while
order to help the economy. White House spokes- the government-appointed Equal Opportunity
man Marlin Fitzwater said that Bush had fully Employment Commission exists.
planned to speak about the idea, noting that it was Regardless, Sununu is a wrench in the Bush
in the president's text. Administration's works. But no matter how rep-
The Chief of Staff should not be making the rehensibly Bush's staff or cabinet may act, it is the
president look like an idiot. The president seems to president who is ultimately responsible for what
be doing that on his own rather well. Perhaps goes on in the White House. This being the case,
Sununu is trying to shift some heat onto Bush in a Bush should act now to put his house in order. He
desperate attempt to save an already blemished can start by giving a pink slip to John Sununu.
Unfair to Germans
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to the
editorial published in the 11/13/91
Daily titled, "Kristallnacht:
Germans demonstrate regret for
night of anti-Semitism." What a
"coincidence" that a piece which
basically puts down Germans
would be printed soon after the ad
denying the Holocaust was run!
Being of German descent
myself, I found the editorial to be
quite offensive. I felt it further
perpetuated the stereotype of
Germany being a nation of
"racism and xenophobia," as the
overwhelming anti-Semitism of
Germans was emphasized more
than the positive protest in 30
German cities against foreigners.
Thenauthor fails to see that
much progress has been made in
German society since
Kristallnacht and the fact its
anniversary is the same as the fall
of the Wall should be illustrative
in itself of this progress. The line
"... the world can now be hopeful
that racism is on its way out, at
least in some sectors of German
society," I found especially
disturbing.
This suggests that anti-
Semitism exists mainly in
Germany. Anti-semitism and
racism exist all over the world.
Problems like these in society can
only be resolved if positive
actions are praised - such as the
progress of German society. I am
not saying that we should forget
history and its lessons, but rather,
to give Germans a chance by
having an open-mind toward their
new efforts. It's not constructive
to reinforce stereotypes!
Lisa Rigg
LSA sophomore
Cape fear
To the Daily:
Often, when I read Daily film
reviews, I wonder if the reviewer
had indeed seen the same movie I
had. Such was the case last
October when the Daily slammed
what was undoubtedly the best
film of 1990: Goodfellas. So, it
didn't particularly surprise me to
read a similarly banal review of
what is probably the best film
we'll see in 1991: Cape Fear. For
Mr. Binelli to call Cape Fear a
genre picture is at once inaccurate
and misleading.
What was a complex study of
family dynamics, suppression of
female sexuality, ethical dilem-
mas within the justice system, and
the rape culture, was reduced in
Mr. Binelli's review to a cheap
thriller. And to liken Max Cady to
a generic movie villain is to
entirely miss the point of
Scorsese's take on the genre that
has its villains come back,
Rasputin-like, to further torture
their victims. Scorsese is quite
aware of the horror and thriller
genres and he uses them satiri-
cally, not for purposes of emula-
tion.
His parodying of Psycho, The
Shining, and so forth are designed
to pique the audience's cultural
consciousness while the film itself
is so beyond the genre, it's like
calling Rashomon a murder-or
Goodfellas a cheap gangster
flick, like the Daily did last year.
But by far the most offensive
and dangerous remark in Binelli's
review was the comment that
every woman except Lange's
character was "unbelievably
stupid." This misogyny perpetu-
ates just the rape culture Scorsese
was trying to expose, as the two
other women in the film, the
fifteen-year-old daughter and the
law clerk are both victims of rape
or attempted rape. Is Binelli
saying they were raped because
they were stupid enough to be
caught in a situation with Cady?
Do they then deserve to be raped?
My last question is then, did
Binelli see this movie at all? I
believe he thinks he did, but I'd
suggest he try again.
Megan Abbot
LSA junior
Support report
To the Daily:
In response to recent criticism
of the creation and publication of
the report of the University of
Michigan Study Committee on
the Status of Lesbians and Gay
Men:
The Civil Liverties Board
wishes the University community
to know that it strongly endorses
the appointment of committees to
investigate and report on contro-
versial issues of importance to the
community.
Members of the community
should be encouraged to partici-
pate in such investigations and to
report honestly and frankly what
they find. Such efforts are a
valuable activity in a free society
and are especially appropriate in
an academic setting.
For this reason, the Board
applauds the thorough and serious
report, "From Invisibility to
Inclusion - Opening the Doors
for lesbians and Gay Men at the
University of Michigan." Um/
CLB urges the wide dissemina-
tion of the report for discussion at
both college and unit levels so
that the findings of the report may
be studied and discussed in depth.
Funds should be allocated to
facilitate the accessibility of the
report to the University commu-
nity.
Martin Gold
Sallie Churchill
Co-Chairs, University of
Michigan Civil Liberties Board
More on the ad
To the Daily:
Forty-five years after the
Holocaust, the most systematic
campaign of violent anti-semitism
the world has ever known, we
Jews at the University have been
forced by the editors of the Daily
to once again face a dangerous
campaign of hatred. The ad
advocating Holocaust Revision-
ism is nothing less than anti-
semitism, and to treat it differ-
ently: either as a vehicle for
discussion or the free expression
of an organization does not
change the nature of the beast.
Bradley Smith's motivation for
espousing Revisionism is clearly
one dimensional: to once again
make Jews the outsiders, manipu-
lators of thought and history,
deceivers who cannot be trusted.
By consciously choosing to
accept the CODOH ad, the editors
of the Daily have condoned this
anti-semitic message, and have
willingly condoned the anti-
semitic message, and have
willingly created a new group of
anti-semites where there need not
have been.
Further, I have no choice but
to conclude that the editors of the
Daily are in full compliance with
Smith's message of hatred against
Jews. How else can one possibly
explain the ad being published?
That this ad was reviewed and
subsequently printed is clearly to
say that the Daily either under-
stands the message to be other
than anti-semitic, or that it
encourages this type of bigotry.
I want to state clearly that this
ad can only be understood as an
attack against Jews and the
Daily's decision to print it reflects
a conscious policy by the editors
to propagate anti-semitism. I want
the editors of the Daily to
understand that I hold them
responsible for continuing a
legacy of hatred against Jews
which begun long ago, that, with
your conscious participation, is
destined to continue.
Andrew C. Snyder
Rakham graduate student
Homosexuality
To the Daily:
I imagine that Jeff Luther's
letter in today's Daily will
provoke some heartfelt emotional
responses from the student body.
That is all very well and good, but
I would like to take an opportu-
nity to respond to him on his own
"logical" level.
Mr. Luther's argument begins
with the premise that homosexu-
ality is a disease. The psychologi-
cal Diagnostic Statistical Manual
invalidates this premise by the
fact that it no longer lists homo-
sexuality as a disorder in its most
recent edition. This volume is the
authority on such matters, so Mr.
Luther's contention is not a matter
of recognized scientific evidence,
but instead is a matter of personal
belief.
Mr. Luther's argument
concludes with the ludicrous and
antiquated idea that biology and
reproduction are the only valid
reasons to engage in sexual
relations. Perhaps thousands of
years ago when, because of short
lifespans and high infant mortal-
ity, humans had to struggle daily
just to maintain the level of world
population, sex acts which were
not performed toward the end of
reproduction (including homo-
sexual acts as well as masturba-
tion, oral sex, and coitus interrup-
tus) could logically and reason-
ably be conceived of as diseased
acts against nature.
Today, however, there is no
problem maintaining the size of
the gene pool, so we can turn our
sexual attentions toward acts
without any reproductive value
whatsoever.
I do not know about Mr.
Luther, but I for one am very glad
that every act I engage in has
nothing to do with reproduction
and everything to do with love
and pleasure.
Thanks to cultural evolution
outrunning biological evolution,
sex, much like eating, is no longer
a simple biological imperative,
but instead can be a wonderful
source of pleasure of all orienta-
tions and preferences.
Jim Pyke
LSA graduate and
UM Film Projection Services
employee
Hating evil
To the Daily:
Yes, Elie Wiesel did advocate
"a healthy virile hate." A hatred
towards any kind of evil. Evil
perpetuated on any innocent
victim. Recognizing hatred in this
world leads to positive response.
By learning to respond, to feel, to
learn, to delve deply into an
emotional, painful experience -
to study it critically and responsi-
bly is commendable. To cloak
blatant anti-Semitism in historical
reinterpretation is wrong.
Thomas Marcellus, director of
The Institute for Historical
Review, in calling Elie Wiesel a
certified hate-monger and taking
one of his quotes out of context
confirmed my cynical disgust
regarding so-called "revisionist
history." I am disappointed to find
blatant irresponsibility in an
intellectual "discipline." By
twisting facts and quotes, the true
hate-mongers in this world are
revealed.
Jessica Super
LSA Sophomore
Misquoting Magic
To the Daily:
It is one thing to promote
sexless speech, but it is another to
misquote someone. Last Friday,
you asserted that Magic Johnson,
in his press conference, promised
he would become "a spokesper-
son for the HIV virus.
While the overall meaning is
the same, Magic clearly stated he
would be a "spokesman." You
know better than to mold quotes
into acceptable forms."
Loren Shevitz
RC junior
Mortified
To the Daily:
I am impressed by the creativ-
ity of the Daily's excuses for
printing Bradley Smith's egre-
gious ad (Oct. 25). On the one
hand, the Daily printed it "due to
an error." Yet, conversely, the
paper hid behind the First
Amendment's rights to free
speech and press.
The Daily fails to acknowl-
edge that it already has enforced a
censorship policy. The Editor in
Chief claims that, "he would not
print ... a beer ad with a woman
holding a beer bottle between her
breasts" (Oct. 28).
As a Jew, I am mortified that
you could print such an advertise-
ment.
Smith denies the horrors
which millions of European Jews,
homosexuals, Blacks, and
Gypsies suffered. Smith's
ignorance and malice cause the
genocide which he apparently
advocates. By printing this ad, the
Daily sorely lacks sensitivity and
respect for humankind.
Dalia Hoffman
LSA senior
41
01
Thankisgivini
Enjoy the holidays, enjoy the fo
T his weekend is Thanksgiving weekend, the
time of year when many students go home to
enjoy the holidays with their families. The Daily
would like to wish each student a happy and
relaxing holiday.
We would, however, like to offer some remind-
ers.
Don't bother bringing the books home. You
won't get any work done anyway, and simply
carrying books around doesn't effectively relieve
the guilt associated with not studying.
Eat as much as you possibly can. When family
members offer you bags of food to bring home,
accept.
Try some Daily Thanksgiving recipes. Week-
end columnists Daniel Poux and Andrew Levy
have offered many helpful recipes in their food
column this term. Sure, Thanksgiving is supposed
to be the best meal of the year, but why not try some
classic Daily "under three ingredients recipes."
Don't forget that Thanksgiving dinner doesn't
end Thursday night. If you are in need of some
good leftover recipes, try consulting University
Food Services. They will probably recommend
turkey, turkey tetrazini, turkey sandwitches, and
turkey on a stick.
When you pack, bring dirty laundary, not
clean. If you haven't figured out this trick yet, we
understand Ohio State has a fine Sociology De-
partment.
Make sure your pilot is sober if you're flying
Northwest Airlines.
Don't forget the part about giving thanks.
Finally, relax and enjoy, and eat lots of turkey.
A recent story in The New York Times documented
a dramatic rise in the amount of wild turkeys
nationwide. So conservationists need not worry.
Take care, and enjoy the holiday.
Nuts and Bolts
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