0 4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 4, 2003 OP/ED Ulbe4b Atdtukw 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 (We believe it does not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans for CBS and its audience." - CBS, on its decision to pull "The Reagans, "a miniseries on Ronald Reagan and his family, as reported yesterday by The New York Times. COLIN DALY THE MICIHIGAN DALY 4 Ann Arbor: A nicer place to be? JOEL HOARD COLD LAMPIN' Last weekend, I enjoyed a little time away from Ann Arbor when I ven- tured to my hometown of Grand Rapids for some much-needed rest. As much as I like to visit family and friends back home, I still loathe the city of Grand Rapids itself. It's too conserva- tive, too white and too boring. Two days there and I can't wait to get the hell out. But there was something different about Grand Rapids on this particular trip. I saw the city in a new light. While it's still too conservative, too white and too boring, and I still can't stand to spend more than a few days at a time there, I have a newfound appreciation for the peo- ple of Grand Rapids. There's a prevailing sense of niceness and politeness that other cities of its size lack. Despite a population of around a million people in the metro- politan area, Grand Rapids still has a small-town feel to it. Everyone seems to know and trust everyone else. The people of Grand Rapids are a real and unpreten- tious bunch. They're affable and approach- able and make you feel instantly comfortable. Case in point: My parents just moved into a new home on the outskirts of town. On Sat- urday afternoon, a group of neighbors toting a variety of baked goods stopped by to wel- come them to the neighborhood. Having now spent a full year away from Grand Rapids, I had forgotten that random acts of kindness were still practiced. It was refreshing to say the least. Throughout the course of the weekend I had several other run-ins with such supremely nice people. Gas station attendants, waitress- es, even the bouncers at downtown bars were polite to an unnatural yet refreshing degree. On Sunday night, after returning from the Mecca of nice that is Grand Rapids, I felt dif- ferently about my adopted home of Ann Arbor. Sure, I was happy to be back in a place where there's more to do than watch sports on TV and hang out in bad to mediocre bars, but Ann Arbor's overt smug- ness was bothering me even more than usual. Strolling through Grand Rapids, I was greet- ed by smiles and hellos. In Ann Arbor, it's scowls and cell phones. My perspective on Ann Arbor has changed a lot from the time I came here as a fresh-faced freshman. I had been stifled for too long by Grand Rapids. Moving to Ann Arbor that first September, I expected to shake the dust of my small-town upbringing and have my eyes opened to the world around me. But all I had my eyes opened to was the fact that Ann Arbor isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It's too liberal, too expensive and too phony. It's a small town that masquer- ades as the ultra-hip center of the universe - or at least the Midwest. Ann Arbor struts with the arrogance of New York but lacks the history, culture and importance to back it up. Recent times have only lowered my opinion of Ann Arbor. The city is plagued by a seemingly perpetual string of burglar- ies - one of which I had the honor of experiencing firsthand last year when a couple of brilliant high schoolers broke into our house when my housemates and I were all home - and assaults, some of them taking place in conspicuous locations in the hours of the afternoon and early evening. An ever-growing homeless popu- lation is treated like dirt and responds with rudeness and vulgarity (except for the nice man who hangs out at Nickels Arcade and under the Arch - God bless you, too, sir). Housing gets more and more expensive every year as the already decrepit apart- ments and houses get older and older. The worst part of the situation is that the majority of Ann Arborites are happily oblivi- ous to the city's inferiority. They pretentious- ly carry on thinking their city is the second coming of New York. But this isn't New York, and it never will be. Still it could be much better than it is. The easiest way to improve the city is for the smug of Ann Arbor to lose their smug- ness. They need to realize that the city isn't so perfectly hip and beyond reproach. They need a dose of Grand Rapids-style friendli- ness. I long for the day when the people of Ann Arbor are as polite as Grand Rapidians, when neighbors stop by just to say hello, bouncers aren't such dicks and strangers randomly trade smiles. A single one would brighten my day. Hoard can be reached at.ho@umich.edu. The All Me Club: No you's allowed HUSSAIN RAHIM NARCOLEPTIC INSOMNIA 4 The Christians are angry again. The consecration of Rev. V. Gene Robinson as the next bishop of New Hampshire makes him the first openly gay prelate in the Episcopal Church U.S.A. This action, a sur- prise to no one, set the foundation for a split within the American church as well as Angli- can churches abroad. International bishops have declared a state of "impaired commu- nion" with the Episcopal Church, but stopped short of declaring a full schism. Well that's good to know, because it's more like an offi- cial angry period, akin to a "time-out," whereas the African archbishops have gone absolutely ape shit and threatened to sever all ties. With such declarations as "The devil has clearly entered the church," and "It comes directly from the pit of hell," it is safe to assume that these individuals are not terribly fond of gays. To understand this reaction, it should be known that homosexuality is regarded as an imported evil from the west and everyone from religious leaders to the local villagers share this view. The Anglican Church in the global south is a little more unlikely to cut all ties with the Anglican Communion due to the fact that its connection with the American Episcopalians gives it a good deal of its legitimacy and financial backing. The power of the bottom line is pretty clear here. What I'm trying to figure is what Robin- son should have done. He is someone who has an obvious love of God and his religion, so I could only imagine that he would put himself through this out of intense devotion to his cause. What seems apparent to me is that his comfort and ease with himself and his lifestyle serve as the antithesis to the tenets of deep repression and guilt that are dear to organized religion. Would it be better if homosexuals declared themselves as evil and stayed away from the Anglican Church, or are they to curl an aspect of their being into a knot, pack it away and skip through life to keep in line with what engenders mainstream acceptance? It seems to me that if he said nothing, acknowledged his lover as his roommate and vowed celibacy, there would no threat of the fragmentation of the Episcopal Church. And what confuses me even more is the notion of people being so attracted to groups that don't want them. I couldn't help but to think of a great line from Groucho Marx, "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as mem- bers." It never rang more true. The firm adherence to the catechism of the Anglican beliefs by the African laity, or any intense declarations of black Christianity always cause me to muse over the origin of the introductions of blacks and Christianity. Slavery. All imperialistic, all forced and all unnatural yet they stand as its most literal interpreters and staunch advocates. I see a lot of the same things in the Asian Christian community. A similar pattern applies in the divergent identity combinations of gay Republicans or women attempting to join country clubs. There must be something inherently endearing and polarizing about group exclu- sion. It often increases the frequency and intensity of displays of unwavering belief in an attempt to prove worthiness to the status quo by those very groups that are excluded. A woman from Robinson's own state was quoted as saying, "We must not proceed with this terrible and unbiblical mistake ... it will break God's heart." And you just wouldn't want to do that now, would you? The desire to participate in such a group will remain unfathomable to me. The only positive I can possibly muster from all this is that throughout history, forced entry and assimilation into any historically prejudiced institution help serve as the cata- lyst for social change and the advancement of progressive ideals in society. I just have too much pride to try. It all just looks like the backyard treehouse with the sign saying "No Girls Allowed" with a backward G. So what do you do if you're a girl? Frequently they'll try like hell to get in instead of making their own club, while everyone exchanges the secret password. Me? I don't want to play, I'll be by the swings. Rahim can be reached at hrahim@umich.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Piskor overly critical, suburbia offers advantages for parents and children To THE DAILY: Jess Piskor apparently wonders why activism takes place on college campuses, then goes away when people grow older (You are responsible for your parents' apathy, 11/04/03). When he grows up, he will understand. There's a reason things are the way they are. There's a reason why minorities are politically active, trying to get to where some whites are today. The truth is. ter lives simply makes Piskor look ignorant. THOMAS WHARRY Alum DAAP/BAMN use of classtime inappropriate To THE DAILY: As I sat in my English 411 classroom this afternoon I was outraged to have the first five to ten minutes of my class taken up by a spokesperson for Defend Affirmative Action Party and The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary. She touted the upcoming march for the "New Civil Rights , , .,, m I- DAAP/BAMN ever wants to become a respect- ed political force, I suggest that they use cam- paign tactics that don't infringe on our classtime. I can't think of anything less effec- tive, except maybe asking college students to boycott beer. Amy COUGHLIN LSA senior LETTERS POLICY The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all of its readers. Letters from University stu- dents, faculty, staff and administrators will be given priority over others. Letters should include the writer's name, college and school 4 I ~ ~E A A.I.KZ-.*> . 'r, wer .nf :>> r KxYil 2 ? :s+. :tYtx..' "k't. #'Ex[' .x '?"1'f t.'!"1' !1 :'#':1P,#"', ' ' ... 4