4 4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 30, 2003 OP/ED Rle fftcIwgau &Bld 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 LouIE MEIZLISH Editor in Chief AUBREY HENRETTY ZAC PESKOWITZ Editorial Page Editors 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. NOTABLE QUOTABLE t(There's not enough capacity there currently to handle all of this tequila ." - Vice Chairman of McCormick Distilling Co. Mike Griesser on the Mexican government's proposal to require that all tequila sold in the United States be bottled in Mexico, as reported by The Associated Press. f.. "The truth of the matter is, I'm more concerned about the judgment of eternity. When I look in the mirror I want to be able to think that in the presence and in the sight of God..." STEVE COTNER AND JOEL HOARD OPERATION PUSSYCAT John Ash( _ 1 .." v 1 w. IM + .t. 4 0 --l-- a a - * , .-,:: R k: e Dude, seriously. Everybody up *% here is so F-ing sick of you. A WoWS47,o!D*? punycat~nm~iceu Rewriting history for the new American century JESS PISKOR JOIN THE PISKOR ike every good >kcitizen, I took U.S. history in high school. And in middle school. And in elementary school. I could recite presidents and tell you about our Founding Fathers. If hard pressed I could probably even compose a five-paragraph essay on the causes of World War II. And later, taking University history courses and reading on my own, I quickly discovered that most of what I learned in high school was a load of crap. A new report put out by the Albert Shanker Institute, a non-partisan think- tank, seemed to confirm this, finding that high school history has an unfair bias. Sure, I thought, my high school history was practically wrapped in the flag and full of gung-ho patriotism and a white male/western culture focus that taught us to trust government and believe in American exceptionalism and ignore other societies' positive traits. But reading the report further, it came to the opposite conclusion. Signed by over 100 notables, including former President Bill Clinton, the essay "Democracy: Teach It" argues that high school history portrays the United States in too negative a light, highlighting our faults, while at the same time looking uncritically at other countries and cultures, focusing on their positive achievements. The study would have us believe that U.S. history education has become a multi- cultural mishmash; that centers on women, blacks and oppressed people and ignores the roles of our white male forefathers and the great and unparalleled achievements of our nation. Curriculums are too critical of the United States and teach students to consider the United States as not much bet- ter than a dictatorship and that our system is fundamentally flawed and racist. It argues that as a result, students do not properly revere our nation. This non-partisan institute draws heavi- ly from research done by the American Textbook Council, another supposedly non-partisan review board that examines the content of textbooks. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, the ATC came out with a harsh examination of the way Islam was taught to students. It said Islam as a sub- ject received a free ride, absent criticism. It's finding concluded that, "Concern about the ability and willingness of many domestic Muslims to assimilate - that is, to put American constitutional values in front of their religion - is not unfounded" and that textbooks need to be rewritten so that students can learn "Jihad's goal is to bring the whole world under Islamic con- trol." Students should be asked questions like, "Why do Muslim (countries) so often have difficulty living with their neigh- bors," and "Why have they provoked fear in adjacent civilizations since the seventh century," and "Why did Islam spread? (Was it) religious zeal or desire for booty and captives?" Reading though the reports by these two think tanks, their agenda becomes clear - instill a love of our nation by focusing on our strengths and ability to overcome chal- lenges while simultaneously learning that all other countries are full of faults and are no match for the United States. Breed trust and love of us and distrust and dislike of them. Furthermore, they want to eliminate the women and minorities of history, arguing that we need to get rid of a curriculum that the ATC says "advances a civic agenda that highlights and ennobles people of color, peace advocates, anti-colonialists, environmentalists and wronged women." They argue that U.S. history and culture is distinctly European and Western and "politically correct" attempts to say that other cultures played a vital role are a dis- tortion of the truth. This agenda runs counter to what this country stands for and counter to the aims of history. The goal of teaching history should not be to create patriots. The goal of history is to inform people of our past, so that we can make intelligent decisions today. We must critically examine our faults both in the past and the present, and also look to other cultures too see what has worked elsewhere. A good society has nothing to fear from the truth. If our past is ugly or contains evi- dence that we have acted wrongly, better to study it and show students our failings so they can be corrected. Better to have a skeptical society - one that doesn't believe in our perfection - so that we do not settle into complacency. Women, minorities and others not fitting into the white male stereotype of history makers need to be taught and examined. History is not a bunch of white guys, despite what high school history and the Shanker Insti- tute and the ATC would have us believe. Piskor can be reached atjpiskor@umich.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Adams misrepresented Sigma Chi's record of charity To THE DAILY: Daniel Adams recently opined on a few instances of reprehensible behavior by some members of a few Sigma Chi chapters throughout the country (Leaders and best, 09/26/03) and then insinuated that all 250 undergraduate chapters and 150 alumni chap- ters of the Sigma Chi organization should be held in the same light. I found this yellow jour- nalism to be so short sighted and biased that it can be summed up as nothing other than "ignorant." Adams has the unique opportunity to write for one of the most respected student newspapers in the country. He should start writing like it. Adams searched from coast to coast in an effort to drag a great organization like Sigma Chi through the mud. When it was all said and done, all his "research" could turn up was an instance of smelly garbage, a politically incor- rect party, a couple of fines and other allega- tions. How is any of this any different than what happens at house parties across the coun- try? In dorms across the country? In numerous other organizations and corporations across the country? Fact is, it's not. It is not acceptable, nor is it specific to Sigma Chi. Furthermore, if this piece had any journal- istic integrity, it would have let the readers know that members of Sigma Chi do far more good for the world than they do bad. Since Adams was clearly unable to do any objective research on his own I will provide some facts for the readers of the Daily: Since its inception Sigma Chi has donated over $1 million to the Wallace Vil- lage, a school for children with develop- mental problems. Since 1992 Sigma Chi has donated over $3 million and tens of thousands of hours of community service to the Children's Miracle Network, an alliance of 165 hospitals that generates funds for children who do not have the financial wherewithal to pay for their medical expenses. The University's chapter of Sigma Chi sends thousands of dollars to CMN, in addi- tion to volunteering at the Ronald McDonald one .Dancen Marathon .Habitat for Humani- embarrassment of only disclosing a few imma- terial facts that do nothing but distort and hide the truth about a great fraternity, Sigma Chi. MuE LIETO Alum Member, Sigma Chi Denoracy entais no right to disturb others by partying To T-HE DAILY: I read with total disgust the letter from Caroline Saudek, (AAPD breaking up par- ties has 'grave effects' on democracy, 09/26/03) and her mentality puzzles me. Yes, Caroline, you have all your rights to hold parties and drink 'till you drop dead, but please keep in mind that while you are having a good time, many students are suf- fering mentally because of your noise and your inconsideration. Is that what you call "democracy?" Because you have your rights to do what you like, you can cause discomfort to other people? Obviously, the party affected someone, and they called the police. Sometimes I don't understand why some people can be so individualistic and selfish. If Saudek likes to party, I suggest she transfer to Ohio State University or Michigan State University because they certainly welcome her more. I am not against people who drink or party, but rather I wish that they would have a sense of responsibility. She have your rights, and I have mine too, and I believe there is a limit to everything you do. While you enjoy partying, there are students who need to sleep or study for their upcoming exams. After all, this is a university, not a nightclub. Enough is enough! Please respect other people the way you want to be respected. Here I want to thank the Ann Arbor Police Department and the Department of Public Safety for doing such a good job of cracking down on stu- dent drinking. Keep it up! Without AAPD and DPS, I believe this university will be in a mess because even though we have a first world faculty and facilities, some of our students have a third world mentality. By the way, Saudek, what have "sex scan- , _ . ._ [2 L : , _. . 1,..4... .. , , 7, .« sponsored by the University's Alcohol & Other Drugs Prevention Program. We found both the content and graphics to be extremely offensive, degrading and insulting to women. The table tents are directed solely at women, indicating that only women have trouble handling alcohol consumption and make poor decisions when drinking. The text assumes that women's primary con- cerns are appearances and romantic rela- tionships: "You spent more hours than you care to admit figuring out your outfit. Even more time getting the hair and makeup just right." and "... wasted again ..." "It doesn't take a lot of brains or therapy to figure out why your love life sucks." There is also a very dangerous implication in the text that being taken advantage of when inebriated is the fault of the woman: "You'll be smashed with just two to three drinks - you'll wonder - who took advantage of you." In other words, you chose to drink; you chose to be taken advantage of. This sends a frightening message to men, who may interpret this as a sign that it is acceptable to take advan- tage of a woman who is drunk. More insulting are the three images of scantily clad women: one on a sidewalk, one on a couch and one peering into a toi- let. Women have been fighting these over- sexualized images in the media for years. It is unimaginable that the University would condone such stereotypes. The women appear to be posing for Maxim while looking for a lost contact lens, lying on a sidewalk and leaning on a couch. Not only are these images overtly sexual, they're also a misrepresentation. The text implies that drinking is not pretty. So why are there pictures? The message that drinking is unhealthy and potentially dangerous is not a bad one; however, it needs to be presented appropri- ately. Instead of blatantly and offensively stereotyping college women, they should explain what alcohol does to the liver. They should show what the legal conse- quences of a Minor In Possession are and suggest alternatives to drinking. Most importantly, they should address both men and women respectfully. We call upon the TUniversitv's Alcnhnl Rr Other 'Drugs Pre- I r dl ft' ~ictamr x uIn t f1o t M ..11 < t ,: I 1: 4C . Qfli t tnev (U).. A i