The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 12, 1990, Page 3, Image 3
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
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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,
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^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
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kelly c. thomas
Viewpoints Editor
Elizabeth Fox Sherri Tillman
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David Bowden Kathy Heberger
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Brant Long Julie Bouchillon
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Sara Verne Octavia Wright
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Kristin Francis Erik Collins ,
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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