4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 6, 2001
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420 MAYNARD STmwEd
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
daily letters (a urnichx dii
'I can get you a toe by 3:00 this afternoon'
DAVID HORN HORNOGRAPHY
EDITED AND MANAGED BY
STUDENTS AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MIGHIAN
SINCE 1890
GEOFFREY GAGNON
Editor in Chief
MICHAEL GRASS
NICHOLAS WOOMER
Editorial Page Editors
Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the
Daily s editorial hoard. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not
necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily.
've actually argued'
with people at this
school - men, most-
ly - about what is the
best bathroom on campus.
It's a pretty ridiculous
conversation.
Women - you should
know that all a man really
needs to go to the bath-
room is gravity. The venue doesn't much
matter. But certain comforts and novelties do
make the experience more enjoyable.
My second choice is the facilities in the
School of Social Work building, on the cor-
ner of East University and South University
avenues. The highlight of the visit - for men
and women - is a computer in the foyer that
will direct you, with the aid of a moving digi-
tal dot and a map of the building, from where
you stand to the restrooms. I wrote two
weeks ago about the potential of technology,
and there is really no greater use than bath-
room navigation.
But my first choice - the greatest spot to
"drop a load," to use the parlance of our
times - is Mason/Angell Hall, first floor,
near the elevators, men's room, right side,
second/third stall from the back.
Not many months ago, I ventured into the
second stall from the back for the first time. I
was awed by what awaited me. I read the
writing on the wall. My attention turned to
the otherwise bleak, gray wall of the stall that
neither touches the ceiling nor the floor (you
have to appreciate the architectural charms of
public restrooms). On this wall was written,
in various handwritings, styles of versifica-
tion and writing implements, a plethora of
quotes - perhaps 50-60 - from the film
"The Big Lebowski."
Everyone's favorite quotes from every-
one's favorite movie, from The Dude, Wal-
ter, Donny, Brandt, Maude, etc., were
scribbled in some form on the wall.
My guess is that some bored defecator
wrote one of his favorite quotes, and his suc-
cessor on the john followed suit, and so on. I
inscribed one of my personal favorites, from
Walter in his attack on nihilism: "Say what
you will about the tenets of National Social-
ism. At least it's an ethos."
Not long after my visit to the wonderful
stall, the University must have caught wind
of this homage to one of the finest films of
our young generation and painted over all the
quotes. I took it upon myself to begin the
quotable collage again, this time on the stall
three from the rear.
I am not supporting National Socialism,
nor advocating restroom vandalism.
But that stall was one of my favorite spots
on campus - for no other reason than its dis-
play of some sort of community bonding
about a cult film. Its effect is harmless; it's
pleasure significant. For Lebowski fans
around campus (and there are many - just
ask your friends), that Wall was an entertain-
ing pit stop on the otherwise drab track that is
central campus.
Our school buildings - our classrooms,
our hallways, our physical and structural
learning environment - is boring and insti-
tutional.
My high school allowed gifted art stu-
dents to paint murals that were culturally and
academically relevant throughout the hall--
ways and classrooms of the building. At this
University there are few murals, few sculp-
tures, few photographs and few paintings of.,
anything inspirational or thought provoking.
The walls and buildings of our school are
boring and demoralizing.
Say what you will about my stall wall.
It's something. It's interesting. It's creative,
in its own pop-culture referencing sort of
way.
I can use this column space to urge the
University to reform the Code, or its position
on affirmative action, or anything else. I'm
starting small, though, and asking that neither
that bathroom wall - nor anything else that
matches its innocence and humor - b
destroyed. Furthermore, I would like to see
campus-learning environment that is aestheti-
cally more stimulating and creative. The
destruction of the Lebowski quote wall,
while seemingly meaningless and insignifi-
cant to most people, is to me an example of a
University that has no interest in creating
such a learning environment.
I'm talking about drawing a line in the
sand, Dude. Across this line you do not ...
Uh, and also, Dude, Chinaman io
not the preferred nomenclature. Asian-
American, please.
David Horn's column runs every other
Friday. Give him feedback at
wwwmichigandaily.com/forum or
via e-mailfathornd@ uirich.edu.
A CALL TO ARMS
THE DAILY'S SUMMER
EDITORIAL PAGE STAFF
IS SEARCHING FOR
COLUMNISTS, CARTOONISTS
AND NEW STAFF
MEMBERS. E-MAIL
AUBREY HENRETTY AT
ahenrett@umich.edu FOR
MORE INFORMATION.
INTERESTED IN A SPOT ON
THE EDITORIAL PAGE'S FALL
COLUMN ROSTER? E-MAIL
THE EDITORIAL PAGE
EDITORS AT
editpage. editors@ umich.edu.
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LETTERS TO he Israe-Palestine
debate help campus?
Is there campus
dialogue? It's only a
'screaming match'
TO THE DAILY:
The Arab-Israeli dialogue on campus is
not a dialogue - it's a screaming match
between two equally passionate, and
neglectful, children. The voices are loud,
the phrases are catchy, and the claims are
exaggerated.
It makes me sick. However, more than
making me sick, it makes me apathetic. I
am a student who has spent time living and
studying in the Middle East and I think
that the dialogue on campus is not only
childish, but immature as well. What are
we doing at this University? Are we here
to learn? Or are we just here in order to
scream our preconceived notions at each
other until someone finally listens?
I truly believe that I would be a valu-
able asset to either pro-Israeli or pro-Pales-
tinian groups on campus, but I choose to
remain uninvolved because I see a general
lack of maturity in the actions of both
groups. Rally, counter rally. Lecture,
counter lecture. What is this? Can we
speak to each other in a normal tone of
voice without using ridiculous claims or
overblown catch phrases? I was under the
impression that a university exists to facili-
tate growth, perhaps I am wrong. Could we
try to sit down together and talk, as
opposed to rallying our fellow students
against one another? What impact do we
have just screaming at each other, hun-
dreds of thousands of miles away from the
Middle East? Why don't we try using our
distance from the problem as a way of giv-
ing ourselves some distance to the prob-
lem, and perhaps even thinking about
something that someone caught up in the
Middle East would not think about?
Until this campus facilitates an educat-
ed, calm and growth-oriented program
concerning the Middle East, I'll stay in my
room.
BRIAN LOBEL
LSA first-year student
exhibited the same type of disruptive
behavior Wulwick accuses Palestinian sup-
porters of, and indeed the same type of dis-
gusting behavior that characterizes the
state whose cause they so feverishly cham-
pion.
Throughout their counter-protest on the
Diag yesterday afternoon, pro-Israel pro-
testers were often rude, obnoxious and at
times vulgar and profane. Many Israeli
supporters, draped in Israeli flags holding
signs that read "I Stand With Israel,"
repeatedly attempted to disrupt and shout
down speakers from the Palestinian side
throughout the rally. While passing out
their own leaflets accusing Palestinian sup-
porters of anti-Semitism, the pro-Israeli
protesters were quick to label claims of
Israeli racism as "propaganda." And this
was expressed in the most vulgar manner:
In response to comments by Sara Floun-
ders of the International Action Center,
who spoke about the state of Israel's racist
apartheid-like policies against non-Jews,
one pro-Israel protester shouted, "You
fucking bitch!"
The attitude is sad, though hardly surpris-
ing. What is most striking is not that the
Israeli supporters were exhibiting the same
type of behavior outlined in Wulwick's letter
(much worse, actually), but that their behav-
ior represents a consistent policy pursued by
the state of Israel and its supporters since its
establishment in 1948: That Zionists must
cleanse "their" homeland of Arabs and non-
Jews and that any opposition to the Zionist
state is tantamount to anti-Semitism and must
be put down by any means necessary. And if
Israel's supporters on this campus wish to
carry on that legacy, they are doing an excel-
lent job.
SABIR IBRAHIM
Engineering junior
Diag confrontations
make it difficult to
be in middle
To THE DAILY:
RlAHlEL r vIEMA L/dualy
Pro-Palestinian activists hold a rally outside
the Federal Center in Ann Arbor last October.
Simultaneously, the Arab student commu-
nity will affirm that I am merely spreading
manipulative anti-Palestine propaganda.
But both sides are wrong, I speak for fair-
ness, compassion and peace.
As the pro-Palestine contingency was
standing in the Diag, a handful of supporters
for Israel found it necessary to get in the
faces of those trying to assemble peacefully.
Some of the Israel supporters found it neces-
sary to yell and cuss, trying to intimidate the
opposition. At around the same time I was
standing in The Diag holding a pro-Israel
flyer in my hand. A fellow student, who
appeared to be of Arab descent, approached
me. As he leaned down to view the flyer in
my hand, he spit on the flyer and my hand.
While others around me were in outrage, I
calmly questioned his motives. The Arab stu-
dent responded with taunts and cusses, refus-
ing to even tell me his first name.
Nevertheless, I extended my hand to shake
his, a gesture of peace. He looked me in the
eye, grabbed my palm, and pinched me.
Almost on the verge of tears, I looked up into
his eyes, merely to see hate staring back at
me. Fear reverberated throughout my body;
not dreading the potential impact of his fist,
but terror of his blind hatred for me.
Both sides are right. Both sides are
wrong. Without a doubt, neither group will
abandon their viewpoints. But at the same
time, neither side is willing to be fair, will-
ing to compromise or be civilized, nor
.
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