4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 5, 2001
(Tbe ahri& igt aIgf
420 MAYNARD STREET
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
daily. letters@umnich.edu
Don't fear the pleasures of pop
CHRIS KULA UNSUNG ANN ARBOR
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necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
I have a friend who
claims never to have heard
the entirety of 'N Sync's
"Bye Bye Bye," a feat
which leaves me wonder-
ig, "Is that really a good
thing?"
Because - and I'm
quite comfortable in saying
this - that's one quality
pop song.
And you know what? There's a whole
world of simple pleasures to be enjoyed in
music as soon as you admit that "pop" is not a
dirty word.
The truth is, as a musical category, pop is
totally benign - and hugely encompassing. A
solid pop music collection could just as likely
include Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions" as
Guns 'n Roses' "Appetite for Destruction," or
Paul Simon's "Graceland" as Public Enemy's
"Fear of a Black Planet." These albums are
now considered "pop" because - brace your-
self - they found popular success, and they
were successful because they're damn good.
No one would ever feel shame about own-
ing classic albums from the pop pedigree. I
mean, you don't hear kids admonishing their
friends for listening to "Zeppelin I1." But what
people often forget is that great pop includes
not only the timeless, but also the disposable.
In other words, for every Beatles in 1964
there is a Journey in 1984. In the distant future
when historians are researching songwriters of
the 20th Century, they probably won't put Neil
Diamond in the same league as Smokey Robin-
son, but that doesn't take away from the fact
that "Cracklin' Rosie" makes me sing like a
guitar hummin'.
Sadly, not enough credit is given to the sim-
ple, catchy-as-mono pop songs that provide the
Joe Cocker to our wonder years. It's George
Benson's "On Broadway" that makes the drive
home at rush hour a little more endurable, the
Tramps' "Disco Inferno" that makes the morn-
ing shower a little more lively, Bon Jovi's "Liv-
ing on a Prayer" that makes the drunken
sing-along a late-night tradition.
But even though it so often means good
times, there exists a certain stigma about really
appreciating good pop music, like it's not quite
kosher to openly profess that the Backstreet
Boys' "I Want It That Way" has one of the
catchiest choruses of the '90s. It's especially
difficult in today's musical climate, in which so
much of the pop sound is associated with undis-
cerning adolescents, for a seeming hipster -
the type who normally seeks out albums so
indie that half of the band doesn't even own it
- to feel an ease in saying, "Man, that new
Shaggy single? Shit's hot."
Some people are just afraid to embrace the
repressed pop fan within. To them I say, "Be
brave": Coming to terms with your enjoyment
of pop music is just like coming to terms with
your own sexuality.
Which, however, is easier said than done on
a liberal campus where experimentation is not
just a part of physics lab. All around you,
young people are trying out supercool electron-
ic music and emo and hippie rock, trying to find
out, you know, what feels "right" inside. Then
one night, your roommate comes home in tears.
"It was late and we were really drunk ... one'-
thing lead to the next and before I knew it, we
were listening to (sob) ... 'Purple Rain.' And;=
oh God ... I liked it."
The way I see it, the man who can admit to
finding pleasure in the past/present top 40 is the
kind of guy who's comfortable in compliment-
ing another man's outfit - either way, it's a
sure sign of self-confidence.
And if you ever notice, it's the guys who ar
the most critical of feel-good pop that are often
the most insecure of their sexuality. Because
what's their all-time favorite line?
"Dude, that's so gay!"
I have a dream that one day all manner of
people - TRL teenyboppers, golden oldies and
all those in between - will dance together in
unashamed harmony to Kool and the Gang's
"Celebration." I have a dream that we will no
longer shy away from Phil Collins' invisible
touch when we feel it coming in the air tonight.
I have a dream that when someone rolls up
next to us at an intersection as we're blasting on
our car stereos the ear candy sounds of Chicago
or Third Eye Blind or "My Sharona" or "867-
5309," they will not laugh and point but instead
give us The Nod, that subtle yet endearing ges-
ture that says, "Yeahhhh, man, that's all right."
Chris Kula gives the Nod every Thursdav.
Tell him yourgreatest guilty pleasures of pop
at http/w.mi iganily co u
or via email at ckula@umich.edu.
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Uncovered documents
warrant concern of
AATA bus 'merger'
Although Steven Antalics is correct that the
Ann Arbor Transportation Authority itself has
"no written proposition" ("Current claims about
bus partnership speculative," 4/4/01) involving
an agreement to contract services with the Uni-
versity's Transportation Department, it is com-
pletely untrue that there is nothing on paper
involving a possible merger. The University
has provided me with a packet over an inch
thick, through the Freedom of Information Act,
of department memos, meeting agendas and
minutes, and other information reguarding the
impending contracts with the AATA, with the
earliest information dated July 1997.
This packet of information included, on
paper (dated January 19, 2001), a proposed
contract in which the Northwood, Commuter,
and Bursley-Baits routes will be contracted out
to the AATA by 2004. As you can see, the
opposition to this plan is based on much more
than speculation.
Although this plan is only a proposal, with-
out any opposition, the Transportation Depart-
ment will have no reason to deviate from their
current plan. I call on all students who live or
study on North Campus to attend the University
Board of Regents meeting on April 12 to
express your concerns.
Anyone who needs more information
reguarding this issue, please e-mail the North
Campus Affairs Commission at
NC.affairs@umich.edu.
ERIC ROEDER
Engineering sophomore
The letter writer is chair of the Michigan Student
Assembly's North Campus Affairs Commission.
Some pro-Palestinian
activists aim to
'disrupt' events
TO THE DAILY:
On Tuesday, I attended the Dennis Ross lec-
ture on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Once
again there were numerous pro-palestinian stu-
dents and adults in the audience. I am not at all
against them coming and raising conflicting
viewpoints. In fact I welcome their opinions
because that will only make me more knowl-
edgeable on what others think around me. What
greatly disturbs me is that there are certain indi-
viduals who come to pro-Israel sponsored
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events with the intent to disrupt and cause rifts
during the event that are completely unneces-
sary.
A few weeks ago at the Cornel West lecture
the same people attended and proceeded in the
same manner. Hillel, who sponsors many of
these speakers, spends a lot of money and time
putting together these events. It is very distaste-
ful to have these individuals in the audience and
who cannot even control themselves and act
according to the followed protocol. If they are
so adamant about having their voice heard then
why don't they stick their hands in their own
pockets and spend some money on bringing
speakers to campus to enlighten us all.
This would be a much more sophisticated
approach versus stealing the microphone from a
notable guest at our university.
JACQUELINE WULWICK
LSAfirst-year student
Letter writer displays
ignorance of policies
To THE DAILY:
In Jeff Woelker's letter to the editor ("'U'
admissions should be based on knowledge
alone," 4/3/01), he puts forth the proposition
that admissions to institutions of higher learn-
ing should be based on "knowledge alone."
This statement illustrates perfectly how
little he understands the admissions
process as well as the history of education
in the United States. The two main prob-
lems with this statement are this: l) It
assumes a level field of knowledge attain-
ment across class and racial lines and 2) it
assumes that because other factors are used
in admissions that the knowledge level of
the student must have necessarily gone
down. These are simply not true.
Historically, minorities have not been
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able to achieve economically because of
racist and classist institutions. Currently, a
higher percentage of African-Americans are
poor than whites. According to recent
U.S.Census figures, while Detroit is one of
the most diverse cities in the country, it
remains one of the most segregated also. If
someone attends a school in an urban or eco-
nomically disadvantaged community, you
can bet that they don't receive the same edu-
cation as a person going to a suburbar
school. They have different and more press-
ing distractions from their education as well
as a different quality of education.
However, this does not mean that the
minorities who attend this university are not as
smart as the rest of the students here. I assure
you that the University does pick "the brightest,
and best." The university uses many criteria to
pick its students. Imagine you are buying a
new stereo, if you are a smart consumer you
compare many different facets of the stereo
before you purchase it.
No one part makes you purchase it, it is a
product of the whole. Similarly, the university
attempts to look at the whole student, to see how
they will contribute to a community of individu-
als committed to learning. College is not meant
to be a reward for getting the highest GPA in
your school, it is meant to be a place where we
learn and challenge our ideas about the subjects
we study as well the people we meet.
Personally, I think that the University
places too much emphasis on GPAs, SATs
and ACTs. These are not indicators of how
well rounded you are or how well you will
do in college. I pray, hope and strive for a
day when the University can do away with
race as a factor, but I hope that ethnicity
and culture are never lost in the process.
We won't reach that point until we stop
reaping the repercussions of our shared his-
tory.
JONATHAN COPELAND
LSA senior
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Undergraduates should support GEO
VIEWPOINT
"Don't have kids or get a real job and live
up to the responsibility. "
"I grew up poorer than just about anyone I
know. I have had to work several jobs at the
same time, and none of them have been as easy
as being a 'GSI. '(real name: TA)"
"You get too much already"
Last Thursday night, the Graduate Employ-
ees Organization held a meeting to vote on our
platform for the next round of graduate student
instructor contract negotiations. Earlier that day,
I found the above comments scrawled on two
assume that an undergraduate student wrote
these comments for a number reasons. Aside
from the ease with which I ruled out the motiva-
tions for faculty, staff or other grad students,
these statements, for me, are evidence of the so-
called gap or divide between graduate and
undergraduate students that I heard about even
before I decided to attend the University. Now I
had to explain the phenomenon to someone else.
Without dwelling too much on what it
means to have a "real job," the value of the
work I perform, or the range of interpretations
that can be deduced from a relative phrase like
"poorer than just about anyone I know," I really
want to understand the source of this student's
they are in the prime years for childbearing. The
prospective student has been out of school for 4
years, is working a "real job" and is about to
celebrate her first wedding anniversary. She
would like to have children soon and earn a
PhD. How do I convince her that the University
is the place for her, that she's welcome here,
that she won't be forced to make such difficult
sacrifices for her family and career? Why
should she choose the University over institu-
tions like Yale or Brown? How should I
respond to the question, "What are the students
like?"
In this case, I admitted that there are indeed
some'students who are very insensitive to non-
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