4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, July 17, 2006
ft :fftjctf,&w 13adou
STANDPOINT
A COLUMN FROM A MEMBER OF
THE DAILY'S STAFF
A man and his head-butt
JEREMY DAVIDSON
Editor in Chief
IMRAN SYED
Editorial Page Editor
JEFFREY BLOOMER
Managing Editor
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890.
420 MAYNARD STREET
ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other
signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their author.
Editorial Board Members: Amanda Andrade, Emily Beam,
Jared Goldberg, Theresa Kennelly, Christopher Zbrozek
FROM THE DAILY
Qu11ery Google
Top results: an economic spurt
BY IMRAN J. SYED
It was one of the most
loathsome, vulgar breaches
of the code of sportsmanship
I have ever seen.
Yes, I speak of a head-
butt during this year's FIFA
World Cup. In an act of bla-
tant, vile cowardice, a former
FIFA World Player of the
Year, a meticulously tuned
athlete whose head had charged and barged him
to glory his entire career, chose to use that same
head to attack an opposing player. It was a disgust-
ing display of the worst that sports could ever offer.
That player should not only have been red-carded
but also fined, suspended and publicly derided for
his morally and professionally deficient act.
Alas, none of that happened, for I speak not of
France's Zinedine Zidane, but of Luis Figo, Portu-
gal's star midfielder and his head-butt directed at
a Mexican player in the preliminary round of this
year's World Cup.
Now, not for a moment will I argue that Zidane's
action was appropriate; it was not, and he was justly
punished. But Figo's offense was at least as rep-
rehensible; it was far more vicious, accompanied
by hostile remarks and directed at the head of the
opposing player, rather than the chest (though not
embellished by a dive, as was Zidane's). But the
referee did not see it, thus there was no foulno card,
and Figo's head-butt is already long forgotten.
But Zidane's has become the stuff of myth, never
to be forgotten and always to tarnish the legend of
the greatest citizen the soccer world has ever seen.
In a study of this situation lies a sad understand-
ing of the judgments of justice we the people have
learned to so seamlessly make. Why is Zidane's
act considered unforgivable while Figo's is imme-
diately pardoned? Because Zidane was caught.
We all saw them both, why not make the judg-
ment on our own? One (Zidane) was provoked by
insults (possibly in the racial realm) and the other
(Figo) was the aggressor, who both initiated and
exaggerated the encounter before delivering his
blow. And even so, we refuse to deliver the gifts of
salvation and the glares of condemnation based on
what we saw. We are all too eager to decry andcon-
demn based solely on what the referee declared.
And what is lost? At a minimum, we unjustly
condemn one of the greatest heroes of our era.
Born in Marseilles, France to a poor immigrant
family from Algeria, Zidane grew up in a rough
housing project and transcended racial, social and
religious barriers to become a resilient icon in his
ethnically suppressive nation. He has always been
an upstanding citizen, a quiet family man who
never exploited the vast stores of fame and riches
his immense success afforded.
For all the lack of class he showed in commit-
ting his head-butt, Zidane did not make any insults,
readily accepted his punishment and has since
apologized. All men make mistakes, but it takes
morality worthy of a legend to handle the conse-
quences as sincerely as Zidane has. None of that
matters to us, though. We see not the man, simply
his action. And not the complete action either, just
the part continuously replayed on ESPN.
The reaction to Zidane's offense,in America espe-
cially, proves once more that we have now become
a people that believe what they are told, rather than
what we see with our own eyes. We have no one but
ourselves and our ignorance to blame for the nation-
al problems we so readily condemn politicians for;
we continue to re-elect them, after all.
The stewards of democracy remain forever
vigilant, forever suspecting, forever questioning.
In our jam-packed, 24/7 schedules, too busy to
scrutinize, too trusting to investigate, we are such
stewards no more.
Of such apathy, the great Zidane is but one of
many victims.
Syed is the current editorial page editor.
He can be reached at galad@tmich.edu.
Thank you, Larry Page. Thank you,
Google. Thank you for your cre-
ative approach, your free organic
cafeterias, your yellow scooters,
and especially for giving Ann Arbor - and
Michigan - a chance.
Google, the widely touted online search
giant, announced last week plans to open an
office in Ann Arbor that will create 1,000
jobs in the next five years. The significance
of the move cannot be overstated, not only for
the jobs it brings to a state devastated by the
struggles of the auto industry, but also for the
precedent it sets regarding Michigan as a tar-
get to which other companies can relocate.
Google's arrival in Michigan is like a bas-
ketball team landing a top free-agent. Sure,
he'll bring you his 25 points per game (or
1,000 jobs, in this case), but what makes the
move especially productive is that he'll make
all the other players on the team better. With
Google soaking up the best local talent, other
companies will be forced to make hires, too.
All the additional jobs will lead to increased
spending in real estate and other markets,
which will boost the local economy.
Pretty soon, other prominent free agents see
this team as a rapidly improving one and look
to jump in.GivenGoogle's status as the coolest
company in America today, there is no doubt
that other major companies will now seriously
consider Michigan as a legitimate player for
their business. And with it all snow-balling,
before you know it, you've got a champion-
ship-caliber team - a vibrant economy wor-
thy of Michigan's glory days past.
At least we hope this is how it all plays out,
and we have no reason to expect otherwise. It
is important,however,to note the type of hires
Google will be making. All of the available
jobs will require at least a bachelor's degree,
proving once more the importance of a col-
lege education in today's economy. The state
should therefore continue its emphasis on
higher education because it is clearly the key
to its recovery. A good place to start would
be to stably increase funding for state univer-
sities so they remain affordable and within
reach for all of the state's young people.
Google says it was attracted by the highly
educated workforce the University gradu-
ates each year and the vibrant atmosphere
for which Ann Arbor is known. Co-founder
Larry Page's status as a University alum may
have at least served as a tie-breaker, but no
matter. What matters is that the company
looked past Michigan's perceived bleakness
and chose to move here anyway.
It only takes one to blaze a trail for others
to follow.
LIVE ON YOUR FEET
JOHN OQUI'ST
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fresard should have followed
in footsteps of past editor
TO THE DAILY:
that subsequent Daily editors had behaved simi-
larly, regardless of their motivation.
David Kessel
Alum
Having rotated on and off the University's Board Dingess C
for Student Publications, I can venture an opinion rash and
on the concept of a Daily editorejoining the Society
That Cannot Be Named, precipitating the resigna- To THE DAILY:
tion of a very talented managing editor.
Back in the late 1950s, a somewhat similar Itbothers meth
situation arose when the Daily City Editor, V.G. resigning as the M
Nahrgang, first joined, but then felt obliged to over the Michiga
resign from that same group upon learning that the senior society, 07/1
annual banquet consisted mainly of hominy grits, have become con
to which he was highly allergic. This saved the Here is a lesso
loss of several night editors who had threatened The paper is all a.
to resign en masse. Nahrgang went on to become that matters. Toq
a highly touted book editor in New York City, and ple silences your,
never regretted his decision. One can only wish sage in that? "I qt
decision to resign
counterproductive
hat, in the matter of Ashley Dinges
Michigan Daily's managing editor
mua flap (Daily Editor in Chief to join
1/2006), obstinance and zealousness
fused with integrity and ethics.
n I wish all journalists could learn:
journalist has; it's the only thing
uit your job over amatter of princi-
voice forever. And what's the mes-
uit, butnot only that, The Michigan
Daily can go to hell"
A truer display of"journalistic integrity" and "ethical
beliefs" would have involved Dinges staying in her job
and making sureEditor in Chief Donn M. Fresard and
the Daily'snews coverage toewhateverline she deems
appropriate. Inthat case, the Daily, and the University,
might have benefited from Dinges's obstinance and
zealousnessIf, afer afew weeks ormonths ofworking
upstream against Fresard's presumed biases, Dinges saw
that she was making no progress or, worse, was partici-
pating in the frauds ofjournalism she apparently feared,
her resignation could thenhave been tendered, citing
"integrity" and "beliefs," and it would have actually
meant something. As it is,unfortunately, who knows?
Press freedoms have never been more valuable and
have never appeared more fragile. You should never
walk away from them. I respect Dinges's gumption.
But I cannot not suffer her foolishness.
John Woods
Brooklyn, NY
See LETTERS, Page 5
RYAN JABER JUSI MAKES MUD
0
0