4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 6, 2001 ("Z! hie firtic4toatt :4Dat7lu 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. IIii 7~k (II / -~. .'~, .-------~- //I, / 'I (I'~Z~-.N. /1 ~ 11~f/kA1~jr-.rJ0i~C / ~ /~/i 1A~ / ~ jjI I K. -~ /!,~~1 ~sV , 1! If -.z-~~ ~:sf:~H / / - 7/ . / _________ /jf ( - I! I. I ~ , 1 V 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 . x -a ncicevirp r menu that is r hr cr lk :t s rhr r : t7 tsr rY fta r. hn .nec