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Wnt(5 Serving USC Chris Dixon, E Stenhanie Sonnenfel Editoria Achim Hunt, Bryan Johnston, Karen Layn< Jennifer Stanley March is made for As we enter the ides of March, another month is set aside for the study of a "non-traditional" part of America's history?women. weancsaay, ana rnaay uunng uic rail anu jpnug xi periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Commumcali Student Media is its parent organization. bibb^b The Gamecock will try to print all letters rec include full name, professional title or year a delivered by the author to The Gamecock new reserves the right to edit all letter for style, po withheld for any circumstance. i Hopefully, one of the bigger parts of the women's liberation movement of the 1960s will be included in school programs. NOW, the National Organization for Women, played a large role in the passing of gender-specific equal rights laws. The members of this organization took the first step in protecting equal rights for women. They took the legal aspect. Making sexual harassment and genderpreference hiring illegal was the most logical, tangible and realistic step. America now has strong equal rights laws that women in other countries may hunger for. But, many women protest that they are still treated differently, subordinately, from men. There are gray areas in our society where, though laws protect women, they do not affect women. Little, often intangible differences between the treatment of sexes can sometimes make a woman feel like the liberation movement never happened. What we're talking about is thousands of years of tradition: the morally superior woman waits at home with other women, sharing in domestic chores, while the burly, sex-oriented men go out and participate in violence or in "shady" activities that women aren't supposed to even realize exist. It's a traditional mindset that many in our society share, on one level or another. Even the more openminded may find themselves fighting against stereotypical, patriarchal views. It is this ideology that makes the last, but most important step in total equality, extremely difficult Believing that we can overthrow thousands of years of one way of doing things in three decades is * ludicrous. A snap of the fingers is not going to change an entire nation's way of thinking. Even those who are trying to change it may Student Media Russell Horn Chris Dixon News: Editor in Chief Advertisi Stephanie FAX: Sonnenfeld Viewpoints Editor Achlm Hani Karen Layne Jennifer Stanley Johnston News Editors Sports Edltors Lacy Arnold "?JPkl,u _i__ * Ben Pillow Features Iditors ' Chiel Nlkld Thorpe Photo Editor The Gamecock it the student newspaper of the Ut rinirrnrb omviuin Since 1908 Editor in Chief Id, Viewpoints Editor i Board ;, John Lyons, Lucy Arnold, Ben Muldrow, , Nikki Thorpe. anjamm a month women actually be undermining the cause. Think of the mother who vehemently tells her young child, "You can do anything a boy can. Don't ever let someone tell you different." She has instantly taught her daughter that if s very nossible a bov can do something she can't, that there will be a fight for whatever it is she wants to do and that society is out there to tell her "no." We could throw many other trite examples at our readers (the girl who sleeps around is a prostitute while a guy with just as many sexual partners is hailed a hero, a woman can claim sexual harassment; but men are "wimps" if they do), but we feel they are so obvious in our society, that to even prod the issue would be an insult to the readers' intelligence. Traditional stereotypes also swing the other way, and can be just as damaging to women. The male aspect of patriarchate terms also inhibits women because it binds men to one way of acting and does not encourage crossover. Tbke for example the feet that there have been fights to allow females into maleonly schools, and as much as she has been despised by the traditional-minded, she has had just as strong support from others. A boy who sues to get into an all-female school simply becomes a laughing 1.1 1 1_ .Li stock Dy dotii sexes. It's up to each individual to fight stereotypes on their own. Overcoming traditional ? illegal ? inequality is the responsibility of every person. Do you want education? Then educate yourself. We know it is difficult to refocus one's traditional viewpoint, and thafs why women must be patient (or drive themselves crazy), and men must be sensitive to the patriarchate stereotypes they may be portraying. This philosophy does not apply to only gender, but to race, physical handicaps, mental handicaps, and age as well. Try to make a difference in yourself, and we'll be one step closer to equality. le IJSC Columbia, SC 29208 777-7726 Adam Synder ng-. 777-4249 Office Manager 777-6482 J*1"** Cartoonist Ben Muldrow Melissa Sellers Graphics Editor Online Editor MkldLa Rocque Laura Day Asst. Viewpoints Creative Director Reginna Green Erik Collins a \t?? Pornltv Advianr /wau ncwo ; -? Jrfwlra Nash Marilyn Asst-Featurea Edwards Taylor Jeff Nicholson Marketing Director Asst. Photo livetxity of South Carolina and is published on Monday, nesten, with the exception of university holidays and exams editors or the author and not those of the University of South Dns is the Publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of eived. Letters should be 200-250 words and must nd major if a student. Letters must be personally sroom in Russell House room 333. The Gamecock ssible libel or space limitations. Names will not be VIEWF IP tlMV, miltfQQfd&Zwdn'tom It's a great bono t< Lam f Cloning could To the editor. Wow, I can't believe it! WeVe finally figured out how to create life. Man has conquered the final frontier with this new cloning thing. Most of us have more or less shown little surprise upon hearing of this due to our progressive desensitization to shock brought on by growing up in the '90's, but this is big. This is real big. This is science fiction come true. Think about it, we now have the ability to create life.. The possibilities are endless! Well never have to work again. Don't think for a minute that upon gaining the technology to do this, the same great and wise geniuses who created the atomic bomb won't go on to clone humans. In fact, I would be willing to wager that if we're just now hearing about cloning, that they've been doing it for five years. Your next door neighbor could be a clone! On that note, what are the uses of cloning? Well, first off, I propose that they make clones of all the professors at USC so we won't have to suffer through the ritual of breaking in any more Teaching Assistants. Everybody will have a topnotch professor! Next we could clone Pamela Anderson. Think of it, for the right price, anybody could have their very own Pamela! We could make clones of all of the top-notch individuals in society who excel in their field Think of professional sports with an arena full of Michael Jordans. You could just make a bunch of Michaels and let him play himself! Who needs the rest of those chumps? We could eliminate world stupidity. When two stupid people get married, we can pay them not to breed and give them a clone ofErkl. rv" 11 /*il V 1 il Ll Ui course au or urns oegs me quesuuiis. Would the clones do what we say? Would they be subject to the same laws? Seems logical, if I cloned myself I would expect to be able to tell me to fix myself something to eat. I mean, Fm the boss right? Hell, everybody could have their own clone. Fd never have to go to class again! The whole world would be like playing Sega! Clones are going to be the hottest thing since Tickle Me Elmo. Nobody will ever have to be bored again, they can just talk to themselves. You could take JOINTS u ip to be conference ? be conference el Y Davis, Senior guard on the Gar V. be the answer all of the worry out of blind dates, you could just let your two clones go out first and see if they get along! Isn't this world great! What will they think of next? What about cloning dead people like they did on G.I. Joe, you know with the DNA and all? We could dig up George Washington, clone his DNA, and make him president again. We could clone Elvis! The king lives! Life just gets more and more interesting. Craig Patton, Junior Gamecock newspaper not practicing good ethics To the editor: I am writing this letter in regard to the article about Michael C. Phillips. First of all, I would like to point out the irony of the article appearing one day prior to the actual run-off elections for vice president. Also the article ended by stating the names of the two candidates: Kim Dickerson and Phillips, and the date of the run-off elections, respectively. Personally, I am not an expert on journalism, but the tactics used to persuade people were quite evident What an attempt to sanction someone's reputation. I did not hear of the incident until I read the article and deeply doubted its content. When I nnmn nr\a? Pliillino if titqo /\K\nalia 1X1 Ob vcuiib uj/uii x jluiu|/0) xv nao vmtiwuu that he was one with distinct character ? which remains to be seen in some young men his age. Yet, looks are not reliable when evaluating someone, but the eloquence which Phillips speaks and approaches others with substantiates his virtue. In other words, there is no way Phillips would have struck the young lady. I can almost assure that there are others whose feelings parallel mine. Of course, I did hear these individuals express these feelings. Could the same be said about the information in this article? Whoever the anonymous source is, were they actually there and did they hear Phillips' portion of the incident? Also, were the editors collectively aware that the charges against Phillins were drooDed? If the information about the suspended charges was in the possession of the writers of this article, then why was the story in * 5 champs, but it's a (amps by ourselves necock's SEC basketball champion ) mm to many's fanta print? As if the whole situation were not c grim enough, the article appeared on the c front page with a flawless picture to t accommodate it. s Why is it that every time an individual aspires to run for a political office (be it t Student Government or the White House), t their pasts are always swept from under c the rug? Oftentimes, these pasts are simply t created by the so called Vctims" to destroy s the accused. z Consequently, a number of people had t not seen Michael during the campaigning i or even election time, and his persona was \ exposed to them for the first time through } this article. t Nice first impression, right? i I know the ultimate goal of some < journalist or editors is to enthrall the general t public, but next time you all choose to play i on people's emotions, make sure the ] information is valid. s To prevent humiliation and disdain, do what is right for a change and not what ( gains you a few smiles and pats on the 1 back. Michael C. Phillips deserves an 1 immense and sincere apology because I could only imagine the turmoil he suffered. : Does Phillips also have to fork out over $20 ] million to realize peace from those around j him? This is for sure: In politics, the stakes i are high. ] DiAndra N. Jefferies Freshman i 1 BGLA defends its need for Student Government lunds To the editor: This is in response to Wayne Ridgeway Jr.'s letter in The Gamecock ("Student Opposes Homosexual Funding," Friday, Feb. 28,1997). Ridgeway certainly has the right to believe that homosexuality or homosexual behavior is sinful. However, I think his assumption that everyone agrees with his position is a bit presumptuous. No doubt there are many who consider lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people to be sinful, perverted and immoral. Just as a generation ago interracial marriages were perverted and unnatural, a hundred years ago the right < HOME POPPING m greater honor ship Hi sies, dreams if women to vote was considered absurd jf ir Jews were considered "god-killers," or wo hundred years ago slavery had clear ocietal sanction. And, by the way, the people supporting Vioao nnaifinna liaaH frho Rihlp tn holster heir agendas, and to maintain the status [UO. I would like to remind Ridgeway that his a university. It's a place where we hive to pursue truth, create new knowledge v ind challenge assumptions and beliefs and ' he status quo. BGLA is perfectly justified n requesting Student Activity funding. We are students too, you know, not martians! Whereas Ridgeway may deplore the fact hat as a society we are moving toward a nore inclusive and humane understanding >f human sexuality, I find his assertion hat funding LGBT student organizations s "lunacy," in itself to be absurd, and his premise that the "sin" of homosexuality hould be obvious to everyone, a little naive. I would also like to clarify that Student jovernment is not financing "homosexual I' sehavior," nor is it "promoting lomosexuality." We are human beings, not just sexual icts, nor do we go around knocking on doors promoting anything. And this is hardly just a bedroom issue (just as being in love and walking down the street holding the band of your loved one is not just a bedroom issue). The absolute ignorance about the nature of sexual orientation and identity are patently obvious in Rklgeways letter. BGLA'' exists to provide support and a sense of community to the LGBT students cd campus and to educate the campus and raise awareness about homosexuahtyfoisexuality and the issues and needs facing LGBT n4-tuJA**4?a Piricraurav mrfoinlv hflfl fl riffKf 9tUUCUW}? IAJ VQl ""? M IJLgU* to know how Student Activity money is being used ? I invite him, and others of similar opinion to attend a BGLA meeting (they are open to everyone) to see what we do, or to visit our websitqr (http://web.csd.sc.edu/bgla). I also invite him to get to know someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered and to understand what that means before he goes about accusing whole groups of people of being sinful. Gaurav Shroff, pi ^UUCUb USCBGLA e