4 - The Michigan Daily -- Wednesday, November 22, 2000
Ulliet 5idntguxlal
............-...--
A most unlikely celebration of 'diversity'
Y
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.
Celebrate 'Buy Nothing Day' on Friday
Ithrew a party this last Saturday evening.
Nothing particularly earth-shattering. It
wasn't a five-keg rager you might expect out of
my brothers and sisters in the Greek system, nor
were there any "mind-expanding" chemicals
floating around, much to the chagrin of those
among the School of
Natural Resources
ranks that attended. But
it was a party nonethe-
less, just a little some-
thing to celebrate our P
beloved Wolverines
dropping some annual
whoop-ass on those ^
AIDS Awareness
studyin' Rhodes Schol-
ars from Ohio.
My roommate and I
carpe up with the idea Branden
about a week ago. With Sanz
Mother Nature finally t
pulling her head out of
her ass and remember- Ham er
ing that November in
Michigan is not supposed to be 55 degrees and
humid, the weather has evolved from cold,
cloudy and unpleasant to that oh-so-familiar
level of colder, cloudier and just plain shitty that
characterizes winter up here in lovely Ann
Arbor. Well, the two of us put our heads togeth-
er and pooled all 105 of our collective IQ points
in search of something that would make things
a little more bearable. You know -the kind of
atmosphere that puts you in mind of beaches,
palm trees, lazy sunsets and Corona bottles.
Four half-gallon bottles of Cuervo Gold, 50
pounds of ice and a plethora of mix later, Mar-
garita Night was born! Following time-tested
party guidelines, we invited exactly three times
the number of people we expected to attend,
keeping the ratio of invitees 4:1 female to male.
(Because, let's face it: You tell guys there's free
booze and they are there; girls are harder to per-
suade.)
Now, I've thrown parties before and I attend
quite a few as well, so I figure I had a pretty
good idea of what to expect. Boy, was I wrong.
The first arrivals showed up right around ten
o'clock and we began quaffing that delectable
nectar of the agave plant while watching the
tail-end of the Florida-Florida St. game. What
was interesting was the make-up of these first
arrivals, which included several grad students
and a history professor, whom I promptly
engaged in discussion about the Civil War and
the merits of Sherman's March to the Sea.
Soon after, the game ended, Bubba Bow-
den's boys laying another beat-down on Steve
(I'm-smarter-than-you-are) Spurrier's Gators,
and the floodgates opened. But it wasn't the
sheer number of people that impressed me -
after all, I do live in a two bedroom apartment
and don't need another noise violation - but
rather the diverse make-up of the people in
attendance.
I'm not talking simply about differences in
color or religion, but real diversity. Friends of
mine from school showed up and mingled with
my roommate's friends from school - and as
he's an engineer we tend to run in entirely dif-
ferent circles on campus. There were people
from my work; many of whom attend the Uni-
versity, many who go to Eastern or Washtenaw,
and some who are full-time musicians just pick-
ing up extra cash on the weekends. There were
Greeks, non-Greeks, athletes, aesthetes and
even some people from the Daily. My buddy
Phil even managed to convince two girls he was
waiting on that night to show up.
The music blaring over the speakers was a
microcosm of the evening, as we went from
frat-hbuse favorites Dave Matthews and Count-
ing Crows to Tupac to Def Leppard (exactly
what is it you women love so much about those
ripped jeans?) to Garth Brooks. No request was
his Friday, on the biggest shop-
ping day of the year, buy noth-
ing. Stay home with friends and
family, volunteer at a homeless shel-
ter, protest over consumption at your
local mall or just take a moment to
throw away the mail order catalogues
that have accumulated on your coun-
tertop.
These are some of the rallying cries
spend money on than time with loved
ones, Buy Nothing Day could not be
more important.
While consumerism may be good
for the economy, the barrage of throw-
away commodities that inundates the
American family is no friend to the
environment. Americans are part of
the 20 percent of the world population
that consumes 80 percent of the
for advocates of Buy
Nothing Day, a celebra-
tion of anti-con-
sumerism now
celebrating its eighth
anniversary. Buy Noth-
ing Day, if seemingly
insignificant in the
frenzied pace of the
holiday season, is, at its
heart, a day of reflec-
tion on the abundance,
of consumer commodi-
ties we'll be inundated
son.
When one more
gizmo calls your
name and yet
another e-commerce
site offers you free
shipping, take a
moment to step
back.
world's resources.
Our unexamined buy-
ing patterns and
unnecessary con-
sumption are much to
blame for this dis-
turbing statistic.
Friday, after your
Thanksgiving dinner
has digested and the
product pushers have
begun fetishizing
clothing, carpet
dTi
Iey end up having someth
them around for the
- Ann Arbor Police Depa
the long-term effects partying and
with this sea-
Buy Nothing Day promotes simple
living and consumer awareness. This
"holiday," which was started by a dis-
parate group of environmentalists and
concerned consumers, has since
become a national movement to stall
the filling of our landfills with the
likes of Sea Monkey carcasses, dis-
carded Furbies and other disposable
consumer commodities. Buy Nothing
Day attempts to break the culturally
conceived bond between consumption
aid happiness. It is also a day to stop
and consider the time when "enough
is enough.
In a culture where we'd rather
cleaners and singing carp and depart-
ment stores are serving up sales, stay
away from the land of commodified
desires. Don't go to the mall. For 'tis
the season when your face will be
pulled off and sold back to you as the
latest makeup trend. The consumer
culture will have it no other way.
This Friday, when one more gizmo
calls your name and yet another e-
commerce site offers you free ship-
ping, take a moment to step back.
Think about the best way to spend
your time and money this holiday sea-
son. And for your sake and ours, buy
nothing.
Take the Buy Nothing Day tour at
www.adbusters.org.
Staying green
Plan shows power of grassroots activism
N ational forests are some of the
last undeveloped areas in the
United States. A new Clinton admin-
istration plan, aimed at the protection
of these pristine environments, indi-
cates a growing national concern for
naturgl resource preservation. After
finalization (anticipated for mid-
December), Congress should pass
this plan in order to ensure that
national forests are protected from
unnecessary development by refusing
priority to outside companies and
neglecting what should be the priori-
ty of protecting out national forests
in the interest of profit. This plan
shows a positive and marked change
in the attitude of the Forest Service,
which would do well to support more
environmental legislation.
The plan was drafted partly in
response to the outpouring of public
concern, as voiced in 1.6 million let-
ters and faxes, for the welfare of
'Deep Throat' did not
deserve -recognition
TO THE DAILY:
I am writing in response to Lyle Henret-
ty's article in the most recent "Weekend"
supplement on pornography ("Presenting the
top ten greatest porno movies of all time,"
11/16/00). By listing "Deep Throat" among
the top ten "classics" of adult films Henretty
effectively endorses and contributes to a sys-
tem which rewards flagrant violations of
women's rights with immense profits. The
star of this film, Linda Marchiano, was
abducted and held captive for two and half
years, during which time she was repeatedly
raped, abused and forced to perform for the
camera at gun-point. All of this is attested to
in Marchiano's book "Ordeal" (co-written
with Mike McGrady) and by a lie detector
test, the results of which are published in
Catherine MacKinnon's In Harm's Way.
No matter how Henretty or the Daily's
readers may feel about pornography in gener-
al, I think we can all agree that those who use
rape and coercion to produce entertainment
of any kind do not deserve to be rewarded
with extravagant wealth or even praise. If this
is not reason enough alone for Henretty to
rescind his endorsement of "Deep Throat," I
ask him to honor the wishes of Marchiano
herself:
"I feel very hurt and very disappointed in
my society and my country for allowing the
fact that I was raped, I was beaten, I was put
through two and half years of what I was put
through. And it's taken me almost ten years
to overcome the damage that he caused. And
the fact that this film is still being shown and
that my three children will one day walk
down the street and see their mother being
abused, it makes me angry, it makes me sad.
Virtually every time someone watches that
film they are watching me being raped." (In
Harm's Way)
MELANIE JUNE DORSON
SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
JUSTIN TIWALD
VISITING SCHOLAR
Boy Scouts of
America promotes
'character and class'
TO THE DAILY:
The first thing that I want to mention is
the only reason I ever read the Daily is the
same reason everyone else does: It's free. I
don't really expect to see anything that
isn't totally biased toward the left, but on
Monday I was appalled to read an editorial
denouncing the Boy Scouts of America
("Deny discrimination," 11/20/00). In only
three months here, I have seen the Daily
spit out some real B.S., but to say the Boy
Scouts of America is prejudiced is ludi-
crous.
As an Eagle Scout, I take exception to
where they please and the Plymouth-Can-
ton teachers' union should allow the Boy
Scouts to meet at their schools again.
NICK SoTO
ENGINEERING FIRST-YEAR STUDENT
denied. Somewhere around 1:30 a.m. the night'
hit a high point when, after several adult bever-
ages, yours truly got up on a table and started
rockin' out with my patented "One-arm
swingin' goofy white guy dance," to the sweet
sounds of Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days."
(Of course, my upstairs neighbor objected most
vociferously, but someone should have told the
silly bitch that when you live in downtown Ann
Arbor, the Saturday night of UM-OSU is gener-
ally not a good night to go to bed early.)
In a scene that I suppose has been played out 7
countless times on campus, different people
with different stories and different backgrounds
came together with only one goal: To have fun.
Perhaps just for one night, no one cared who
was going to win the election or what the per-r- -
son next to them thought about the situation in
Palestine.
To me this was the ultimate in what college
has to offer. I can read a book on anything froni
Chaos Theory to the history of the Modern
Middle-East in my own time. But how many
times after I graduate am I - are any of us --
going to be able to discuss Ayn Rand with a
philosophy major or dissect Citizen Kane with a
film major, just for the sake of passing the time
and polite conversation?
It struck me as an epiphany.
I bitch about this place all the time, bemoan-
ing everything from BAMN-type.,
activists/fanatics to apathetic professors to uppi-
ty New Yorkers to a general lack of commonk '
sense. But right around 4:30 that morning, in a
rare moment of seriousness, I wondered how
many times in the future I would ever have the'
opportunity to watch a University engineering
senior and an aspiring rock guitarist with no
college education debate the merits of both
Hobbes' Leviathan and the zone-blitz.
That, my friends, is diversity.
- Branden Sanz can be reached via e-mail
at hamrhead@umick.edu.
ing that is going to follow
rest of their lives.'
rtment Sgt. Michael Logghe, regarding
alcohol consumption have on students.
violations have ceased. They also faid to men-
tion the incredibly poor human rights record of
the Arab states in the Middle East including the
Palestinian Authority.
While myself and other Jewish students
hope for peace and dialogue, both in the Middle,
East and on this campus, we ha* found that k
opening a dialogue isn't easy when you have no
partner.
VID Laivsz
LSA JUNIOR
Protest coverage
was biased against
Palestinian- students
TO THE DAILY:
Laura Deneau's article "Jewish, Palestin-
ian students face off," (IIf/21/00) is fascinat-
ing because encapsulates the greater bias of
the United States' media towards the situa-
tion in the Middle East. Also, it points to
what is wrong with the Daily's coverage.
The headline implies a equal-handed con-
frontation, as in a debate. What really hap-
pened is that pro-Israeli students
inappropriately interrupted an event spon-
sored by students who exercised their public
right to express themselves. This was not a
"face-off," it was a rude disruption ofan
event they had the right to sponsor.
Likewise, the mainstream media present
the recent violence as "clashes" or "turmoil
while the reality is that Israel is a modern state
militarily occupying a group of people whose
main crime is simply living on that land before
the European Jewish political movement
known as Zionism decided it was theirs. It
takes what is clearly wrong - a system of
apartheid, daily control of the Palestinians'
lives, based on the rule of force - and makes
it seem like an even-handed battle for land.
The Daily, by covering this as some
debate, has obscured the message of the
event. By doing that, it encourages pro-Israeli'
students to continue the loud disruptions and
in effect smother the voices of the oppressed.
This is not Gaza or the West Bank. They
should not be assailed for presenting their'
views. The Daily should have written a story
about the event with a small part dedicated to
the inappropriate disturbances. Furthermore,
it should take an editorial stand against such'*
behavior on the part of those who cannot han-
dle criticism of Israel. r
'U' should demand a
recount after slim
Blood Battle loss
TO THE DAILY:
In response to the Nov. 21, 2000 article "'U'
Loses Blood Battle By 2 Pints," I feel that it is
the best interest of the University, but more
importantly America as a whole, to demand a
manual recount. The targeted area for the man-
ual recount should be Union, where many stu-
dents were confused about the blood giving
system. The University should also call in Rev.
Jesse Jackson to determine whether the students
rights were violated by donating officials.
ERIC DANIEL FRANK
LSA JUNIOR
Protest coverage
was biased against
pro-Israeli students
TO THE DAILY:
I am writing to express my dismay and dis-
appointment at the way in which the Daily cov-
ered the demonstrations At the Diag on Monday
("Jewish, Palestinian students face off,"
11/21/00). Not only was the Daily's coverage
biased and one sided, ii was also factually
wrong.
While the American Movement for Israel
was invited to participate in the tribunal, the
counter protest was actually organized by a
group of students who felt that actions such as
the so-called indictment of Israel decrease the
chances for peace and also serve to increase the
already high tensions on this campus.
Furthermore, the Daily portrayed the Pales-
tinian protest as an attempt to educate, instead
of what it was: A public reading of propaganda.
FEducation is fair, objective and unbiased - all
elements which were missing from the Palestin-
ian rhetoric on Monday. For example, while
indicting Israel for human rights violations; the
protesters failed to mention that most of these
to fund or repair many
of the logging roads
that lead to clear-cut-
ting. This plan will
still allow for sustain-
able forestry and selec-
tive logging to reduce
the risk of forest fires.
Opponents of the
plan cite that approxi-
mately 730 jobs will be
The government
has not turned a
deaf ear to the
public's requests
for more stringent
environmental
protection.
national forests. This
indicates that the
government has not
turned a deaf ear to
the public's requests
for more stringent
environmental pro-
tection and shows
that Congress is
working to tackle
issues of national
lost and lumber avail-_
able for harvesting will by cut by
about seven percent. However, in
Tongass National Forest in Alaska, an
area in which many people are con-
nected with the logging industry, the
plan has allowed a four-year delay in
order to allow residents to find new
jobs. The environmental benefits far
outweigh the disadvantages of the
plan - disadvantages of the type that
are inevitable whenever new mea-
sures are taken to promote conserva-
tion.
The Forest Service, as well as the
concern that might
otherwise go neglected were it not for
public action.
This proposition is part of a
broader initiative intended to give the
public more influence in how nation-
al forests are used. The public has
overwhelmingly shown that it has a
deep concern for the preservation of
these pristine environments. There-
fore, it is the responsibility of Con-
gress and future presidential
administrations to ensure that the
voice of the public is heard and more
measures are taken with the aim of
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WILL YOUMANS
UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS
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CHIP CULLEN GRINDING THE NIB
WWR -MIS CUPOUT AS YOUR EXCUIE 10 O W LORLD!
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