4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 10, 2000
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Elect me, baby, one more time
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
daily. letters@umich.edu
Edited and managed by
students at the
University of Michigan
MIKE SPAHN
Editor in Chief
EMILY ACHENBAUM
Editorial Page Editor
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.
Take Back the Night did what 'Fair' missed
O ver the next seven months, countless
rock stars will attempt to mobilize
young citizens and encourage them to
vote. Rock the Vote is one of the most
effective methods of getting out the youth
vote. While this program attempts to
express the collective voice of young
America, it's also
shameful..
I'm embarrassed
to live in a country <
where an advertise-
ment featuring Pearl
Jam or Sheryl Crow
affect the outcomey
of federal, state and-
local elections. Rock
the Vote sends the
message that the
only way to get
young people to vote Jeffrey
is by getting MTV's Kosseff
star de-jour to tell
them voting is, like, Sweet New
fashionable.-Style
What happened
to the political fer-
vor of the '60s? What happened to prima-
ry and general elections where there was
actual choice and debate on college cam-
puses?
Monica happened. Elian happened.
Flag burning amendments happened. Our
elected officials trivialize all the issues
that really matter, like the glaring gaps
between classes, international conflict and
the demise of public schools. They traded
them in for hotter issues that are like sit-
coms. Politicians can solve these problems
in a half-hour show, complete with com-
mercials for their campaign sponsors and
censorship of any realistic issues.
In today's political climate, Al Gore's
campaign receives a boost from a Julia
Roberts movie about an environmental
crusader. A pro-wrester wins a gubernato-
rial election. Leonardo DiCaprio inter-
views President Clinton about the
environment. Politicians are celebrities,
and celebrities are politicians.
We no longer live in a country where
most young people believe they can affect
military policy or economic inequality.
Sure, some students are still believers in
the democratic system. And they're most
likely the ones who are crusading to regis-
ter their peers to vote. But our student
body as a whole is more apathetic than
those of generations past.
Young people remain among the least
frequent participants in our country 's
democracy. And state Sen. Mike Rogers,
under the disguise of administrative effi-
ciency, successfully passed a bill that
requires all residents' driver's licenses to
match the addresses where they are regis-
tered to vote. Not surprisingly, he is a
Republican running for Congress in a dis-
trict dominated by East Lansing, a college
town.
His motives work against everything
for which our democracy stands. I don't
know how he could even look at himself
in the mirror. This bill will result in even
lower turnout among college voters.
While some groups challenge this
ridiculous law in court, there is a simple
solution. Students could either get absen-
tee ballots in their hometowns or switch
their drivers licenses to Ann Arbor. Grant-
ed, there is not a Secretary of State office
within walking distance of campus and
new licenses cost money. But if students
really care about voting, they could sacri-
fice the extra hour. Luckily, we no longer
live in an era of poll taxes or literacy tests.
All the government requires is the effort
of registering and voting.
If they don't care enough to*cast an
absentee ballot or get a new license, then I
wonder how much they really care about
our democracy. If they only vote when
Britney Spears says it's cool, then I ques-
tion whether they are informed voters.
Is a perfect democracy one where
masses of uninformed and apathetic peo-
ple vote? Or is it one where the voters are
all knowledgeable about the issues?
I'd like to think our country is a combi-
nation of both; one where every citizen
over 18 votes and every voter knows about
the issues. But we're not nearly at that
point yet.
I don't want every person to vote. I
want every informed person to vote. And
if people can't take the time to haul their
butts to the city clerk's office, they proba-
bly won't take the time to learn about the
issues.
Rock the Vote valiantly attempts to
inform in addition to encourage voting.
But I seriously question a rock stars' abili-
ty to delve deeply into the pertinent mat-
ters of the day. It's effective at registering
young people, but we need more for this
democracy thing to truly work. If we
don't, then people like Rogers will slide
into office.
- Jeffrey Kosseff can be reached via
e-mail atjkosseff@umich.edu.
TENTATIVELY SPEAKING
n an attempt to show off the friendlier
face of feminism last week, the orga-
nizers of the annual Feminist Fair decid-
ed to serve up popcorn and cotton candy
to complement their usual proselytiza-
tions. Feminist Unite, one of the fair's
organizers, was trying to fight myths
about feminism's negativity and aggres-
siveness. But as evidenced by the fair's
dismal turnout, they probably could have
used a little more aggressiveness, at
least in promotion. It's hard to say how
much the moonwalk looming over the
Diag managed to soften feminism's
image, but the organizers probably
should have stuck to tradition. Unlike
this one, the Feminist Fairs of years
passed were heavily attended, even with-
out the "non-abrasive popcorn environ-
ment," as one Feminist Unite member
put it.
While the Feminist Fair clearly
wasn't constructive, another annual
event broke with tradition this weekend
in a much more successful manner,
when the Take Back the Night rally and
march welcomed men as participants for
the first time in the event's 20 year his-
tory. Take Back the Night, which seeks
to address the problems of sexual and
domestic violence, included men this
year because of the recognition that
many of them have also been the victims
of such violence. The inclusion of men
is also a welcome change because men
need as much, if not more, education
about sexual and domestic violence as
women. Those concerned with prevent-
ing these types of abuse should strive to
bring more men into events such as Take
Back the Night. The problems addressed
at the rally, which also included rape and
violence due to sexual orientation and
gender, clearly cannot be effectively
addressed by women alone and efforts to
fight these problems should be as inclu-
sive as possible. And more than just
allowing broader participation is neces-
sary. Everyone should realize how exten-
sive the problems of sexualized violence
are and should take opportunities such as
Take Back the Night to really come to
understand the seriousness of this prob-
lem and how widespread it really is.
Sexual violence is given far too little
attention considering that one in four
women and one in six men are victims of
it. These problems, and the programs
addressing them, are currently given far
too little attention, especially by men.
Real efforts to bring people to these
events are necessary to make sure their
message is more broadly disseminated.
The organizers of these events in the
future, especially of the Feminist Fair,
should try to make sure these events are
as inclusive and well-attended as possi-
ble, maybe through involving more stu-
dent organizations or maybe through
better advertising. Cotton candy doesn't
hurt, but it also doesn't seem to help any
women. Activists efforts can be better
utilized by in a more productive manner.
Besides the Feminist Fair and Take
Back the Night, people should be using
every chance they have to learn more
about sexual violence and what they can
do to help prevent it. Such serious and
rampant societal problems require more
attention and education than they cur-
rently receive for any serious gains to be
made in the fight against them.
0
THOMAS KULJURGIS
Hate at home
Anti-gay slayings point to national problem
Sen. Smith's
proposal does have
funding
TO THE DAILY:
In the Apr. 5th viewpoint "Smith pro-
posal could hurtrout-of-state students,"
Engineering first-year student Matt
Schaar states that Sen. Alma Wheeler
Smith's Higher Education Learning Pro-
posal has no funding source. But, Sen.
Smith has a very clearly outlined source
of funding. In 1999, Gov. Engler signed
a personal income tax cut for Michigan
residents.
If HELP is passed, the tax cut will
have to wait five years before it is imple-
mented. The money saved from delaying
the cut will go into a trust fund and
would raise $500 million in five years.
The $500 million plus the interest gener-
ated would build a fund of $2.8 billion,
covering tuition for an estimated
130,000 full and part-time community
college students and 100,000 university*
students for the next 12 years.
Schaars states that HELP would
increase out-of-state tuition, increase
university dependence on alumni and pri-
vate donors, and increase in-state tuition
for families reporting an individual
income of more than $50,000 and fami-
lies reporting a joint income of more than
$100,000. But, HELP never intends to
depend on any of these sources. It only
delays a tax cut to set up an extremely
valuable and important trustafund to offer
more Michigan residents a higher educa-
tion. HELP will allow Michigan students
and families to save thousands of dollars
in tuition, and by making college more
affordable, will increase the number of
skilled educated workers in the state.
As an out-of-state student myself, I can
understand his concerns. But, us "out-of-
staters" will still continue paying the same
amount. We will continue receiving the
same high quality education we have been
getting at the University. HELP will only
allow the bright, motivated Michigan stu-
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dents, who would otherwise be shut out
because of money, to join us.
Ask most people in Ann Arbor where
the most reported anti-gay slayings
took place in 1999, and most would not
guess their own. They would be wrong.
In 1999, Michigan led the nation in
reported murders of homosexuals. This
embarrassing statistic underlies a funda-
mental problem: Across the country,
many Americans still remain violently
hostile against homosexuals.
In beginning to remedy the problem
of anti-gay hate crimes, police across the
country must first recognize when such
crimes occur. Unlike other crimes,
police may choose to look the other way
when classifying a crime as either a hate
crime or a typical assault case. Other
times, the police may not know that the
victim was homosexual, lowering the
statistics for assaults and murders
against people of certain sexual orienta-
tions. Also, victims of assault are often
too frightened to report incidents. Thus,
the already shocking statistics don't tell
the whole story.
In addition to increased police atten-
tion to anti-gay hate crimes, the nation
needs hate crime legislation dealing
specifically with sexual orientation.
While people are coming to accept the
lifestyles of lesbians, gays, bisexuals,
and transgendered persons, protection
under the law will help demonstrate that,
as a nation, we don't tolerate hate and
violence. Only when federal laws that
classify anti-gay assaults on a par with
other hate-motivated attacks are on the
books, can those who advocate equality
for all citizens claim they have made
substantial gains.
While hate crime legislation may
seem a large step for some, consider how
far the nation has come on other toler-
ance issues. Less than 50 years ago,
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Americans shuddered at the idea of
interracial marriages, while today they
are commonly accepted. Just as we are
have come to reject racist attitudes
toward the institution of marriage, so too
should we encourage legislative options
which minimize the incidence of hate
and intolerance in other areas.
Part of the reason behind such vio-
lence is that the government fosters
ignorance through legislation which pre-
vents gays from receiving equality, for
example by refusing to recognize gay
marriages. Same-sex marriages should
therefore be legalized to encourage an
environment where gays won't be dis-
criminated against in the first place.
Promoting so-called "gay-straight"
alliances is another helpful measure.
Appearing in high schools and universi-
ties throughout the country, these
alliances promote tolerance and under-
standing between gay and straight peo-
ple. By the time many students arrive at
college, many have never known an open
homosexual. Those who have had a gay
friend or relative may have witnessed
first-hand the bitterness against gays, and
received many false ideas. Education can
alleviate some of the problems caused by
misconceptions stemming from bias.
Matthew Shepard's murder last year
brought the issue of anti-gay hate crimes
to the nation's attention. It would be
comforting to believe that such case is
an exception, but anti-gay hate crimes
are not. For each reported incident, there
are many more that the police simply do
not report. With education, gay-straight
alliances and stronger hate crime legisla-
tion, our community and our country
should be able to put its prejudices
behind it and promote progress in its
thinking.
ALEX GOMEZ
LSA SOPHOMORE
How to be gay'
class deserves
support
TO THE DAILY:
We are writing to support in the strongest
terms David Halperin's course, English 317:
How to be gay. We want to be clear at the
outset that we think that support for the
course is not just a matter of academic free-
dom but concerns an equally important prin-
ciple - standing up to bigotry in all its
forms.
It strikes us that the criticisms of the
course were not well informed about the
content and aim of the course, in that they
seem to confuse examining questions of
social construction with brainwashing and
recruiting. As Prof. Whittier-Ferguson points
out in his letter, this is profoundly disrespect-
ful of University students, whose sexual
identities are viewed as blowing in the wind.
Even if the critics were more precise in
their attacks on the course, we would still
support Prof. Halperin's course in the name
of academic freedom. The assumption that
being straight is normative is just as prevalent
in the University's curriculum as is the
assumption that to be white is to be without
race and to be male is to be without gender.
This course attempts to carve out a space to
talk about subcultural practices and queer
studies, and to examine the cultural trappings
of gay identity.
The University has a responsibility to its
community to provide space for that discus-
sion, as it has for the discussion of issues of
race, ethnicity and gender in its sincere effort
to enrich the diversity of our community and
its intellectual life. We take for granted now
that Women's Studies, Ethnic Studies,
African and African-American Studies are an
important part of the curriculum, but not so
long ago they were as contested as "How to
be gay" is today.
In supporting "How to be gay,' we sup-
port multi-culturalism and academic free-
dom and denounce homophobia.
IRFAN NOORUDDIN
RACKHAM STUDENT
-This letter was co-signed by 42
political science graduate students.
can take steps to prevent sexual assault
One needs to beware letting political
viewpoints to impede reality. In Anna
Philips' response to Josiah Silverstein's let-
ter to the editor of March 30th ("Writer
shouldn't blame sexual assault victims"
4/3/2000), the author aims to remove focus
away from the assault survivor, and criti-
cizes Silverstein for implying that the victim
may have been at fault for the attack. Sadly,
her response distracts us from an important
issue: How not to be a victim in the first
place.
Ms. Philips' very cleverly employs lan-
guage as a tactic to reframe the debate. First,
she uses the term "survivor" rather than
"victim" a political act aimed at empower-
ing the assaulted individual ("Victim"
implies passivity). She defends the behav-
iors and choices of the victim/survivor by
only focusing on the outcome - the assault.
By arguing in this manner, we cannot criti-
cize the behavior of the victim/survivor
vice to personal responsibility, her argument
absolves the victim of any. This was done, I
suspect, to protect the victim/survivor from
traditional stigmas that are applied to assault
victims. But, by using these arguments to do
so, we must also assume that the victim/sur-
vivor need not feel responsible for the con-
sequence of their actions, because the
victim/survivor was powerless to prevent the
assault. This is patently false. We can take
steps to gain a measure of control over the
situations we are faced with.
We need to separate the victim from
their behavior. Criticizing the victim's
behavior as unwise prior to the attack should
in no way constitute a moral attack on the
victim. Instead, we can use the experience
and criticism to draw some powerful
lessons.
The victim's inebriated condition was
very likejy a contributing factor to the
assault. Predators most often attack those
the wild, potential prey must be wary and
alert.
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
Those of us who are not predators must
behave with care and wisdom lest our rights
be threatened. We make ourselves targets by
engaging in careless and oblivious behavior.
This again, in no way, absolves the attacker's
responsibility. If you want to be truly safe,
than you should avoid exposure to unneces-
sary risks. Look before crossing the street.
Wear reflective clothing when bicycling at
night. Take an umbrella when the forecast
calls for rain. Don't have unprotected sex.
Don't walk alone through unlit alleys at 3
a.m. on Saturday nights. Be less of a target.
I will leave the healing process of the
specific victim to whatever methods they
wish to employ. I am certain, they are now
painfully aware of the possible conse-
quences of their behavior. We cannot control
other people, and we often have to place our
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