Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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E-MAIL You hate us in the fall and spring. Are we just better in the summer? Write us. GCKVIEWS@SC.EDU i Wednesday, July 21,1999 ?ic6a Sewing llje Carolina Coi EDITORIAI Brad Walters, I Kevin Lanestnn. 1 Emily Streyer, 1 Kenley Young, C Americans dwell on K< According to the local news Monday night,"anationprays and waits as the search for John F. fv over the ) Kennedy Jr., his wife Kennedy t and her sister con- ^ tinues." and^vaks? The" me- ^ if SOU dia, electronic and feel SOTTyJ otherwise, seem to Kenned) think that the death shouldnt obs of a man is a singu- [___ lar event meriting our.undivided attention for five days, i John F. Kennedy Jr. was not a oresident or a senator or a Dublic fie ure for any reason other than his last < name. This does not lessen the grief of his loved ones, but the least we can i do is let them grieve in private. < Why should an entire nation "pray i and wait" for more information on the tragic death of one person in partic- < ular, especially when this person does not hold public office or otherwise sig- ; nificantly impact that nation? Everyday, hikers disappear, people die in mysterious car accidents, boating ac Hfe tt(5a Sen'hig the Carolina Cot The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The University c Friday during the fall and spring semesters and eight times during th periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are tliose of the edito The Board of Student Publications and Communications is tlie puN the newspaper's parent organization. The Game Brad Walters Editor in Chief J Clayton Kale News Editor ( Kevin Langston Viewpoints Editor 1 Emily Streyer Features Editor i Student M Ellen S. Parsons Director of Student Media ! Lee Phlpps Advertising Manager ( Susan King Creative Director 1 Kris Black Creative Services Editor gcked@sc.edu 777-3914 News gcknetvs@sc.edu 777-7726 Viewpoints gckvietvs@sc.edu 777-7726 Advertising 777-3888 Classified 777-1184 V T . radt nmunity since 1908 BOARD iditor in Chief Viewpoints Editor 7eatures Editor lopy Desk Chief shouldn't emiedv cidents or small plane wrecks. Sometimes, mourning bodies are found ? and mysteries are solved; other times, ragedy the families of those gone never know what really hapr Ulnrp tn pened-Yet at n0ne ?f rpiace 10 thege times do whole for the nations "pray and k nx> wait." Thevmoveon. ess OUer it which is what eveiy [J one is supposed to do, at his or her own pace, after the death of another person. We should, if we are so inclined, offer a prayer for the support of the Kennedy family and perhaps add another quick prayer for the safety of our loved ones. We should not glue ourselves to CNN, though. "Perhaps we contribute to the meJ.* 1 Li !xL i. L__i. ma onsiaugni wim our comment, oui this editorial ends our coverage of the affair. We offer condolences to the Kennedy family and to all families who endure such tragedy, and we move on to let them grieve in peace. imccock Basa nmunity since 1908 )f South Carolina and is published Monday. Wednesday and e summer with the exception of university holidays and exam rs or author and not those of The University of South Carolina. Lsher of Tire Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is cock (eff Romig Sports Editor Charlie Wallace Sports Editor Kenley Young Copy Desk ChieJ \shton June Photo Editor ledla Sherry F. Holmes Classified Manager Carolyn Griffin Business Manager Erik Collins Faculty Advisor Etc. gcketc@sc.edu 777-3913 Sports gcks[x>rts@sc .edit 777-7182 Online gckonli@sc.edu 777-2833 Fax 777-6482 Business Office 777-3888 IEWPOI The Gamecock A I tv* -=-= S.C. harms Once again, South Carolina has found the national limelight unbecoming. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ww<*2: ;r m has declared m W 'fW\ a boycott on our state for " Mk keeping the k Confederate over our Statehouse. EMILY STREYER How ex columnist actly does ZJ one boycott a state anyway? ("I buy my east coast hurricanes from North Carolina only") I don't think the NAACP is accomplishing anything by "boycotting" a state. But if their action resurrects a legislative debate that ends in the removal of the flag, perhaps some good will come of it. (Bear in mind, readers, that the NAACP is an organization that might seek legal action against the TV networks for not having enough "diversity" in their fall lineups.) Anyone who parrots, "It's heritage, not hate" deserves to have his or her mouth permanently taped shut with one of those rebel flag stickers that most flag proponents put upside down on their cars without even knowing it (the middle point of the stars should be J IV T/TTln IN lo J >>p?/ fi itself with i down). Heritage belongs in a museum, not on a statehouse flagpole. A flag is a symbol. Symbols mean different things to different people. If you're a Newtonian physicist, the Greek letter "delta" means "change in." If you're a chemist, it means "heat." If you live in South Tower, it probably refers to a member of one of several sororities or fraternities. Similarly, the Confederate flag has different meanings to different people. Rednecks think of it as a righteous rebellion against Northern culture. Some white Southerners think of it as a reminder of a greater society., Many black Southerners find it a reminder of that same society, but they don't tend to think it was so great. In fact, this flag is a constant reminder that humans in the not-so-distant past thought they were entitled to own other humans based on the color of their skin. That fact of history is hurtful enough without having to look at it every day as it sits over our governing body. For me, the flag symbolizes a culture that can't get over a war it should n't have started and didn't deserve to win, as well as a culture that, while I love dearly its idiosyncracies, needs to join the century before it's over. This is the problem with South Carolina. Everyone else is in the 20th cen tury. (Well, almost every one. Alabama and Mississippi are keeping us company.) It's called progressiveness - the opposite of heritage, as far as the im QUOTE, UNQUOTE "John was a shining light in all our lives and in the lives of the nation and the world that first came to know him when he was a little boy." Sen. Edward Kennedy, uncle ofJohn F. Kennedy Jr. Page 3 college press exchange its heritage plications for our law books go. A government can be progressive while still respecting its heritage, but when the heritage sits above its governing body. that heritage is holding the government captive in another era. I couldn't care less what the NAACP thinks or whether it likes my state. I would that the NAACP had kept its opinions to itself, because its boycott will probably serve only to inspire the proud and ignorant to defend even more madly our state's decision to fly a flag of rebellion, oppression and stubbornness over the seat of our government. We shouldn't take down the flag because the NAACP said so. We should take down the flag because it flew over another country. We should take it down i i i ? j iL _ j.: uecause aciuiuwieugmg tne injustices in our past is more important than acknowledging a heritage with a lot of black marks on it. Those who choose to show respect for the flag (it is, after all, part of our history) can do so in a museum. And while they do so, they should have a good think about everything the flag stands for. The NAACFs decision will not bring tne tlag down and has probably retarded our progress toward that goal. We live in a democracy. The flag will come down only when we have an enlightened Legislature and a governor with the guts to do the right thing - in other words, when we choose to elect the right people. ^