4A-- The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 12, 1999 Utie £idtga atig 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily. letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan HEATHER KAMINS Editor in Chief JEFFREY KOSSEFF DAVID WALLACE Editorial Page Editors Hilarity, Hypocr o before we say our goodbyes, before we pretend to care about all of those random people we have deemed friends but we only see at the bar or run into around campus, and before every Daily columnist (including Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. Locked and Loaded) pretends to be pro- found, I've decided to bite the hands that feed me. It's almost over, we seniors our almost out of here, and yes, Locked and Loaded is almost gone - much to the joy of many, many students. Yeah, L&L has pissed some of you off. So let's cel- ebrate all of those let- ters, all of those empty and ill-phrased para- graphs and let's have some fun, and for a change, at the expense of this column. isy and 'Ritter All Night' Ac aemicmpetition 'U' must maintain Inteflex program Sarah Lockyer Locked and Loaded column, if you're made fun of and ridiculed, chances are you're not liked, you're found annoying and insufferable and, clearly, not wanted to be heard from, however nice the compliments might be. But it was the advent of Studio 624 that real- ly got some attention. All of a sudden, L&L was a drugged-out whore who just wanted some action - and I mean, why not? Studio 624 was to be a place of drugs, sex and disco. E-mails flooded in from lonely engineers and even lonelier old men, well, not that much lonelier. Each letter tried to be subtle, but mis- erably failed: "I'm sure you're getting lots of letters from other guys, but Ijust wanted to say you're funny. Maybe you shouldn't publish your picture next to your column, you're cute, and guys will just harass you. If you ever want to hang out with a guy who can make a mean Long Island, just let me know." Umm, is a comment really necessary? Maybe you're harassing me and maybe Long Islands are served at every bar on campus, regardless of whether or not they're "mean" - you're not original, so give it up. Hilarity. But let's get to the real deal. We all know that "Women really do have it all" and the sub- sequent "20-something guys aren't that bad, just ask Sarah and Susan" hit some sort of funny bone on the campus elbow. Letters upon letters came into the Daily, and believe it; every single one was read. And my god, the ridiculousness was astounding! First, guys loved the fact that a woman was bashing feminism and women were about to kill the self-ascribed siren of sarcasm. Clearly, that column aided and encouraged the sexualiza- tion of women, it glamorized rape culture and even objectified the objectification of women. Never mind the tongue-in-cheek nature, forget sarcasm, this bitch has got to go. Calls were even made for L&L to be fired! AHH! But the best part was not one of those letters were well written, not one offered a valid point and not one made a dent of an impression upon the feminist-hating, women-bashing columnist. Here's a hint: If you want to make a point, try to get one first. But while making fun of women is fine, don't touch the guys. Next thing you know guys were screaming libel, slander and offen- siveness because L&L dared to turn the tables. At least women were now excited to see guys take the fall. Hypocrisy. Hold the mirror a little too close and look how the tide turns. This campus is great! But thanks to a law student with a little too much time on his hands, the let- ter stating that L&L should be sued for slander was revoked. Apparently there are good uses for lawyers after all. Guys: Give me a fucking break, you're offended? I'm sony, really. I did- n't mean to make fun of your fragile egos, I know that you're all really good in bed and cun- ning conversationalists, really, I do. But the crowning jewel came on the WOLV- TV show, "Ritter All Night." Hosted by two less-than-stellar students, Jeff and Mike or Matt, I'm not really sure, this David Letterman wannabe is almost as insipid as this Maureen Dowd wannabe. Asked to appear, L&L agreed, pleading ignorance to the idiocy and not-even-close-to-being-funny humor offered by a Kinesiology major. Hint: If you're hosting a comedy talk show, comedy is usually required. So, L&L has been complimented at bars, chastised in the Daily and even harrassed by four guys Saturday night who screamed, "Put us in your column!" Hint: Everyone on this campus is self- absorbed, loving of attention in any form and lacking of any real sense of reality. I mean, why else would L&L write a column about herself? - Sarah Lockyer can be reached over e- mail at slockyer@umich.edu. ince March of last year, the Inteflex program has been under controversy concerning its future at the University. Originally designed as an opportunity for highly motivated students interested in the medical field to intertwine their undergraduate and graduate education, Inteflex committee members are consid- ering opening it up to students pursuing careers in a variety of health-related fields. Ironically, the Medical School has now decided to end its participation in this program. Inteflex is a unique oppor- tunity with many advantages, and should remain at the University. It should also be expanded to allow participation from other health-related fields. Because Inteflex has been scrutinized recently with respect to the Medical School, Inteflex committee representa- tives from the different colleges have tried to understand the varying view- points. Although the Medical School claims to have "outgrown" Inteflex on the basis that its mission has changed since the incep- tion of the program, the vision and ability to attract the brightest students is a quali- ty that other schools within the University should find very appealing. Inteflex allows talented and hard- working students to receive a continuous, structured and highly concentrated educa- tion. An alternative to the usual pre-health tract students often pursue during their undergraduate years (a pre-health concen- tration does not exist at the University), Inteflex combines advanced training with superior resources to give prospective doctors the most advantageous education- al career possible at the University. Other schools with health-related concentra- tions should push for involvement in a similar program to better suit their stu- dents. If the University does not continue to accommodate these high caliber students by offering programs to fit their needs, they may move on to other schools that better suit them. It is important to maintain a balance of dedication and ability in the student body, and Inteflex or a comparable initiative would effectively maintain this, as it has done in the past. Currently, the committee is investigat- ing the possibility of reformulating Inteflex for students interested in den- tistry, nursing, public health, social work and pharmacy. Although the current Medical School students in Inteflex will not be affected by these changes, incom- ing students should be aware that the school has decided against continuing this valuable program. Because it would attract prospective students and be a rewarding experience for them, Inteflex deserves a chance in other health-related concentrations. It would likely bring the success that the Medical School has enjoyed on its behalf in previous years, maximize efficiency on both sides and provide a unique experi- ence to eager, determined undergradu- ates. It all began as a "Translation" and a promise to never go to class again. A self-ascribed witty dialogue satirizing the fakeness and utter contempt for the truth that students can have for each other when classes begin. You know, boy meets girl, boy flirts with girl, boy never goes to class again, boy keeps flirting with girl and boy gets notes from girl. This cute but not even close to piercing col- umn received some attention, but nothing worth a pat on the back. But the next two really hit home. A discus- sion about the rules at the library and a call to hedonism gathered some mixed reviews. Exceptions to every rule were met with many "Oh My God!"s and "That is, like, so true!" - definitely flattering but needless to say annoy- ing. Here's a little hint: if you're mocked in a Leaders don't always practice what they preach By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Editorial Page Editor Is it possible to despise the messenger but embrace his message? I hope it is, because after seeing the Rev. Jesse Jackson speak on campus Friday, I heard many ideas and thoughts that shed new light on why diversity is so important. Jackson provided me and about 3,000 other students with the strong mes- sage that the country cannot lose its com- mitment to attaining multicultural harmo- ny. The historical and statistical facts he cited hit home for me, making me realize the United States was founded by people of all races; not just a few white guys in fluffy wigs. He registered millions of minorities to vote, forever making the U.S. democratic system more representa- tive. But as Jackson was preaching racial togetherness, I could not stop thinking about a remark he made to a reporter in 1983, referring to Jews as "Hymies" and New York City as "Hymietown." That is something I would expect to be uttered by a Ku Klux Klan leader, not by the nation's foremost champion of diversity. As a Jew, I have been socialized to dis- like Jackson. Despite his apology for the remarks one year later, the damage was permanently done. It had a strong negative impact on his presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, and I believe it caused a rift between Jewish and black Democrats. Throughout Jackson's speech, I tried to rationalize his anti-semetic comments. It was 16 years ago. It was a private conver- sation with a reporter. He was under a lot of stress. He must have realized that it was wrong by now - he gave a tearful apolo- getic speech in 1984. Unfortunately, these rationalizations did not help me transcend his past mis- takes. As he spoke about the need for con- tinued diversity, I saw an anti-semite with a deep hatred for Jews. After the event, I realized that I have had prejudiced thoughts and made preju- diced remarks in my 20 years. I'm sure every person on this campus has had a racist, sexist or homophobic thought. Most people move on with their lives, but Jackson has been forced to repent for this comment for 16 years. Should he be held to a higher standard than every one else? Yes, he should. For someone who preaches cultural harmony, it is frightening that he made anti-semetic remarks. makes me lose faith in humanity. If Jackson has been hateful, who hasn't? Jackson's hypocrisy should remind everyone that we should not place public figures on such a high pedestal. Ideas about how society should function must come from everyone, not just a few well- groomed demagogues. We should not need idealogues such as Jackson to come to campus to realize that we each must fight to preserve diversity on campus. True co' mitment to diversity must come from every student. No single individual is perfect enough to symbolize an entire cause. Change comes from within every member of society. - Jeffrey Kosseff can be reached over E e-mail at jkosseff@umich. edu. GRINDING THE NIB 7 Striving for justice Investigation of police profiling is necessary CHIP CULLEN t appears that it took a death for an executive initiative to confront the use of "racial profiling" by law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Under pressure from civil rights groups angered over the recent killing of African immi- grant Amadou Diallo by police in New York City, the Clinton administration announced last week that it would take steps to end the practice. In addition to the Diallo shooting, in which officers fired 41 shots at an unarmed man, the administration's move comes in the wake of other high profile incidents where individuals have been questioned or harassed by police solely because of their race. Last June, a lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court by a black family from Eastpointe, Mich. alleging that young black males on bicycles were systemati- cally stopped and questioned by police in response to bicycle thefts in the area. An internal memo between now retired Chief Fred DeWeese and City Manager Wes McAllister confirmed the charge. The Justice Department is also carry- ing out investigations into racial profiling in New Jersey and Orange County, Fla. Attorney General Janet Reno said the department is in the process of establish- ing standards for appropriate police stops. But to many, such measures are simply not enough. John Conyers Jr., (D-Mich) a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus and House Judiciary Committee hopes the reintroduction of a bill requiring the Justice Department to collect and study racial data on motorists stopped will shed light on the popularity of racial profiling with police agencies nationwide. Vehement opposition by police lobbies killed the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, but not all police organizations oppose racial information gathering programs. Both the San Jose and San Diego police forces have pledged to track the age, gender and ethnicity of peo- ple stopped. Yet even these two voluntary initiatives have been attacked by the California Police Officers Association who maintain that police must make sub- jective decisions when they decide to pull an individual over. Police departments are not the only agencies to draw fire from critics. The U.S. Customs Service has enlisted the aid of an independent commission to evaluate how passengers at international airports are processed and whether racial minori- ties are unevenly targeted for strip-search- es. In Chicago, 100 black women who claim that they were singled-out due to racial and gender biases filed a class- action complaint against the agency. While the actions of the Justice Department, Customs Service and indi- vidual police forces are certainly a step in the right direction, a national movement is necessary to address and confirm wide- spread charges of racial profiling. The Clinton administration must be held responsible to follow up on its promise to ensure that Justice is truly evenhanded across the nation. There may be a level of validity to the protests of police organizations; police officers, like other people, are bound to resent laws that call their judgement into question. But evidence that infringe- ments upon the fundamental rights of minorities may be common practice by law enforcement agencies is too disturb- ing to ignore.I Feminist fair did not represent the true cause To THE DAILY: The recent "Feminist Fair" last week on the Diag once again illustrated the death of intelligent discourse on this campus. The Daily's headline even called it a "celebration." A celebration of what? The organizers explained the fair promoted "female empowerment." However, whether or not romping around the Diag with dunktanks, bal- loons and bean bags promotes "empow- erment" is debatable. Instead of presenting an ideology, a set of goals or a philosophy, today's fem- inists play silly games and engage in male-bashing. In fact, the results of this imbecility are quite clear in a recent sur- vey of women - only 32 percent of col- lege women view feminism favorably. Maybe it is time for these pseudo-femi- nists to ask themselves: What do we want to do? Despite the behavior of the organiz- ers, there are still sincere feminists out there who fight against domestic vio- lence, and promote women's education. Most likely, original feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton would have agreed with me: unbiased, open-minded intelligent discussion will lead to change in society, not carnivals of clowns. ScoTr BEHNAN LSA FIRST-YEAR STUDENT Intervention is necessary to stop . - i " I .1 LA /-.. -t ."' 01 '' , -., .. ' r i'f ' . H t 'L 4 } ti ;sr,... . 6 .4r f *\ I 0 IF I ~' I K4 tion to Kosovo Crisis" (4/2/99). The fact that air strikes against Serbia are just a mask for the bad policy in Bosnia is questionable. I agree. However, it can by no means be considered as an aggression against the Serbian nation. If you don't understand anything about the war in Yugoslavia, you should know that this is genocide in Bosnia. How many more pic- tures of murdered, raped, tortured, massa- cred people do you need to see to stop this from happening? The author, Maxim Adelman, says that air strikes "will not accomplish any- thing, but give Serbs an excuse to pursue ethnic cleansing." In which world does Adelman live, I ask myself? Does he see that this is sys- tematic and that Serbs planned to commit genocide against Albanians for the "sacred land" with or without air strikes. Adelman also claims that up until the air strikes began, "there were no reports of any considerable civilian casualties among Albanians, media reported a few thousand dead." Albanian nation. Air strikes are no excuse for Serbs to kill Albanians. I understand that we do not see the results of the strikes in the short-run, but I am praying that they will diminish Serbian military power. At the same time, I am certain that air strikes alone will not put an end to th* conflict. Adelman claims that "the inter- national community has no reason to sup- port Albanian nationalism over Serbian nationalism; as long as there is no occur- rence of genocide; it should be a domes- tic affair." First, the Social Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is history. The independence of new Yugoslavia is not internationally recognized: there fore the problem in Kosovo is not ' domestic problem but rather an interna- tional problem. Second, I don't think that Albainians who are being massacred by the Serbs could ask them for their human rights. Therefore, the international community