University of South Carolina Libraries
Action Watered-down activism gives appearance of insincerity Tension is growing among the ranks of the country's youth, but it seems no one knows exactly how to vent their frustrations effectively. In the past several years, students have increasingly cried out against censorship, environment abuse, animal abuse, drug laws, parking, visitation policies, foreign and domestic pplitical policies, pnAn/liM/v U/V?M AlAnnMAnr nn f\ r\.lT?\c* /> f r\4 Z o n ff/% liiuudiy ayciiuuig, iiuiiicicsancss aiiu its ui ULIICI issues aiiceiing the world today. A review of these outcries, however, shows them to be more words than action. 'Activists' have held a few rallies, submitted a few petitions and generally complained a lot, but the whole idea behind activism has been watered down. This is not a call for riots or vandalism or forcible demonstration ? these things accomplish little other than giving the participating groups a reputation of being troublemakers. This is, however, saying that making changes takes more than a week of petition-signing and complaining. This time last year, students were up in arms about the changes in the visitation policy. Letters to the editor poured in, petitions were submitted and many people chewed out the desk attendants in their dorms for enforcing the policies. Now, however, the issue has died. As one student recently put it, "They (the students) have just laid back and accepted it like the administration thought they would." People still grumble about the visitation hours, but nothing has been done since those first few weeks of policy enforcement. More recently, students have been trying to educate people in the concerns of the environment. They lecture on how recycling should be a key part of our daily lives and how there is no such thing as a biodegradable plastic. Yet there hasn't been hardly anythinff /ir\nA to trv to rvrcnuHo Hinino- cpiviVpc to cton licina thp VJV/11V IV/ ki J tv ^/VIOUUUV OVl ? ?VVO IV OlVp M1V plastic bags they implemented to get their logo out. A few letters of protest were written, but not much else was done. Protesting these issues would not have to be difficult, inconvenient, violent or (the dreaded label) 'radical.' Visitation policy could be protested by a dormitory lobby sleep-in, where students gather in the lobbies of specific dorms and camp-out to show their disapproval. Refusing to accept the plastic bags in the snack bar or simply not eating at the snack bar would get the message across that students are serious about their complaints against the plastic bags. And these are just two examples. The key is, awareness (the reason cited for most protests and rallies) is not the only message concerned citizens need to be getting across. Action is the only thing that will help in the long run, and most of the people affected by the 'awareness' rallies are people who are already aware of the situation. This is not to suggest a return to '60s and '70s activist demonstrations that ended in violence and rioting. All this is saying is that words accomplish goals only when they are pursued on an ongoing basis and only when people see that you are willing to really stand behind your words, not just say them. NSNS NOT SURE y/Z^S\^Fl^iSFyA\ .A WQWYiCfcA, w? * \ - ^1F0U^1HE I I The Gamecock News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249 Tr?pr \I7TI ctvm QHAI)OM \I/TI I ?**OAM JCrr TTlL,iJWn wiinnwil TTlL,LAlVI3Un Editor in Chief Managing Editor/Copy Desk Chief Lynn Gibson Elizabeth Lynch News Editor Carolina Life Editor Doug Aube Renee Meyer Sports Editor Photography Editor kelly c. thomas Viewpoints Editor Elizabeth Fox Sherri Tillman Assistant News Editor Assistant News Editor David Bowden Kathy Heberger Assistant Carolina Life Editor Assistant Carolina Life Editor Brant Long Julie Bouchillon Assistant Sports Editor Assistant Photography Editor Sara Verne Octavia Wright Assistant Copy Desk Chief Assistant to the Editors Kristin Francis Erik Collins , Graduate Assistant Faculty Adviser Ed bonza Laura S. Day Director of Student Media Production Manager Ray Burgos Renee Gibson Assistant Production Manager Advertising Manager Kyle Berry Carolyn Griffin Assistant Advertising Manager Business Manager Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be, at maximum, 250 to 300 words long. The writer must include full name, professional title if a USC employee or South Carolina resident, or year and major if I a student. An address and phone number are required with all letters sent. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or in case of sPace limitations. The newspaper will not withhold names under any circumstance. Or^fUme.~ VOTING BOOTH Nude dancing You know, this country has a lot of problems, the biggest of which happens to be the people who run it. The United States has a number of pressing social and economic problems, but those we the people have elected choose to give us a bread circus in the Middle East rather than trying to solve these problems or confess they don't know what to do and step aside so someone else may try. The same goes for South Carolina. The headline for the lead story in Wednesday's issue of The State read "Police demonstrate nude dancer's bump and grind for jury." If you went on to read the article you probably found the whole idea of this trial about as ridiculous as I did. Two of the police officers who staked out onrl orrncfnH tKa ir\r\rtr\ P\/-vl 1 n n r? auu aiiv^dixsu uii/ uauv^ia ai v^iiipisi/iiJL/uiid, an 'adult night club, apparently put on quite a show for the jury by imitating the dancer's movements. TTiey even went so far as to get down on their hands and knees so they could shake their behinds. They were trying to convince the jury the dancers weren't being expressive but were T? ??; ? i 'LETTERS TO TH ^ ^ftrmrVifiiffifftirrtfri iiftriirirr^ Blacks aren't i a cuously lea only victims of n0n..m mentioned Tn ,h, ^r- White Stu( I read with interest the article on would nev racism in Friday's issue of The as Gamecock. hon^ One of the many things that l?nce 1S at Lnev 2r6 in concerns me when discussing the f * . issue of racism is the connotation ? being po that blacks are always the victims blacks, and whites are the perpetrators. I believe the reason for this is that white males have always been the power brokers in this country, and Do we have had the ability to ^ *** ** discriminate. nffnr It must be emphasized that Oil CI while whites have had a monopoly on discrimination, we do not have f0 edito a monopoly on hate. I wish blacks Parking i could get inside my mind and ob- jssue on the serve the intense aggression and torial jn intimidation that many of my coc^ inustri white friends and I experienced incendiary, from blacks durine our school <J> UlVlllO YYV1V years. The KKK, Aryan brothers some impor and Skinheads could have really nott learned a thing or two about racial First, the hatred and related tactics. Addi- Committe< tionally, for every example of merely of fa "nigger go home" written on an 0f faculty, e elevator door, there is an example Each constit of black hatred toward whites. tatives on tl The point is that the focus of all culty memtx racial forums and programs is to chairman wl get "us ol' country white boys to a fie, six si start thinkin' straight." This is five students wrong. Racial hatred is a two-way Secondly, street, and we need to understand representati' that while whites need tolerance throughout t training, so do blacks. This means summer. Pe mn ii | ; is least of ou fDENNIS SHEALY I 6 / t TV. f ^ i actually just pandering sex, obscenity and the r like. If you ask me, two guys probably dressed c in bad polyester suits gyrating in a well-lit room S full of average citizens was probably more obscene than those dancers had ever hoped to be. v Let's face it folks, this is just one big waste f of the taxpayers' money. It was a waste of the i: police officers' time to stake out the place and v go to the trial, especially when one considers a they were at ChippenDolls a few hours before any arrests were made. Come on guys, they ti were either dancing nude or they weren't. Did a you really have to stay for every act? It is also a h waste of time and money to actually take this il case to court. Men and women have been shak- li 1 111 1 t MM) tiBMM ttfillfe!: E EDITOR S ;S0 -: - ns, Latins, women, etc. members are then availa >n to the article conspi- generally neither are all fc ving out any example administrators. This partici te aggression, it also summer, the committee 1 the pro-white group meeting, and two studer lent Union. While I present, er belong to such a Thirdly, the Parking Cc believe it is a bit reac- was not at all involved in reason for their exis- ing the fees either during 1 ; many whites feel that mer or at any other time, the precarious position creases were initiated by th ditically victimized by of Business and Finance, the knowledge of the ' Chnrlps HpnrWcnn Committee, and were tl graduate student proved by President Ho and the board of trustees. i Fourthly, the cost of a ins cnair not $16,000, but $10,000. ? bor cost varies depending Jj | circumstances of installatio Fifthly, the money nece: r: install a gate will not be ta s obviously a burning of students' tuition money. > campus, as your edi- however, come out of the 1 day's (Nov. 9) Game- fines generated by parkin ites. It would be less amount currently is appro> however, if your com- $1,500,000 per annum ai j totally accurate. In pay not only for gates, but tant respects, they are the improvement of stud< and a 600-space garage ] i University Parking for the very near future, j is composed not Sixthly, there are r< iculty and students, but 25,600 students on the ( mployees and students, together with approximatel uency has its represen- faculty members and 2,6 tie committee: Five fa- ployees. The Figures cited jrs, one of whom is the are thus incorrect. How ho votes only to break more meaningful picture i taff/iiHmrnictratnrc anH u/hcn u?> rrvmn'iro ilia nm MivuuuuiuuuHirViu mivu TTV vuiupaiv Uiv IIU1 i. dccals issued in each a student members have There are 2,825 student r on on the committee on campus, 2,950 commut he year, including the dents and 1,970 graduate s rhaps not all student for a total of 7,745 student "S , W/OTlNGUfe^ BOOTH \ r problems ng what they've got for thousands of years, so vhy waste all of this energy on a basically silly rial? The paper said the jury laughed while these wo officers danced. This was much the same eaction from the jury in Florida during the 2 ,ive Crew trial when the prosecution played apes and pointed out the dirty words or merely ead the lyrics. Trials like these are usually ciruses where nothing much gets accomplished. !o why bother? There is too much real crime on the streets to vorry about a few women mimicking The tasty on stage. I personally think nude dancing 5 demeaning to women and men. But if they're billing to do it and it pays the bills, then who m I to judge? The money and time being wasted on this enire case could be better used in the fight gainst serious drug abuse or violent crimes or elping the South Carolina community improve self. Nude dancing is not nearly as high on my st of issues as are these things. 111 ' '1'iiii.y i ble, but are joined by the 4,100 faculty iculty or members and employees. Together, ular past then, there are 11,845 people tryteld one ing to find a parking space in lots its were which provide no more than 9,600 spaces. immittee increas- The real problem is therefore iie sum- n?t the contrast between faculty The in- and students that you posit, but a ie Office general shortage of spaces which without affects faculty, students and emParking ployees alike. The function of the hen ap- Parking Committee is to apportion Iderman available spaces in a sensible and fair manner, together with the gate is necessary rules and regulations. On The the whole, this has been done. ; on the Increasingly, though, the Parkn' ing Committee has been compelled ssary to 10 register a growing number of ken out parking offenders and has had to It will, acknowledge that fines are in 1 aHp/inatp tn HpiiI u/ith cpnfflawc If ecs anu -?i?? ? ?? ? g. That *s f?r this reason that the Univer;imately sitY Parking Committee has recomrid will mended to (Interim) President also for Smith the installation of two elecjnt lots tronic gates and rigorous towing of planned multiple parking offenders. The point here is that the committee is 3ughly neither imposing a special burden campus, on students nor is it diminishy 1,500 mg student parking privileges. The 00 cm- actions recommended are designed by you solely to enforce existing parking ever a regulations and secure the rights of ' -ii 1- ? ? ?i. emerges a PcoPlc UI1 wampus iu uic poi*.rnber of *nS sPace t0 which they are itegory. entitled, esidents incr cm- Peter W. Becker O SlU o. . itudents, Chairman 5 These Univeftity Parking Committee