University of South Carolina Libraries
I FRo/A THE THINGS YoU - DoN'T-WANT-Tb - 1 THINK’ABOUT RLE,.... _ Don’t for Ret your patriotism BETHANY MITCHELL GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM We have to learn to be Americans year-round. Can anybody tell me what happened on Sept. 11? And I’m not being sarcastic. Being that it’s close to the one-year an niversary, I think it’s appropri ate to ask such a question. It’s a year later, and America seems to have forgot ten. Understand that I don’t like to dwell on sad things; that’s why I don’t like movies like “Titanic” and “Pearl Harbor.” So when Hollywood comes out with a “Sept. 11 Day of Tragedy” movie, I won’t be in line. But I do think it is important never to forget. Now, everyone hasn’t forgot ten, but most have disregarded it. Why is it that when I went to the airport to pick up my sister Saturday, the security guards were not checking trunks of cars anymore? Do you remember when you couldn’t fart close to an airport without security’s thinking it was a bomb? Now, you can waltz through with ease. Remember when everyone was flying the Stars and Stripes, proudly displaying patriotism from their cars, homes and clothes? Now, girls have just gone back to wearing the Stars and Stripes to cover their ta-tas. What happened to America the beautiful? Land of opportu nity? The great melting pot? Now, we stereotype any person of Arab descent we see. My own sister was scared to sleep on the plane because an Arab man was sitting in front of her. She was too afraid that he would set it off. She also noted that he seemed more afraid because of the looks and stares he was getting from the other passengers. But let’s not neglect the fact that Americans have discrimi nated against several ethnic groups, including African Americans, Jews and Native Americans. All I’m saying is that I can’t change people and make them treat all people equally, but I will say that we can’t treat all people badly. (Except for the football players; they’re already mad at me. Suck it up, guys, I was just kidding!) Let me get serious again. How many times have you heard that you can’t judge a book by its cover? Well, guess what? It’s true! Let us not forget the day America was attacked. Let us not forget all the loved ones lost. Let us not forget the firefighters and police officers who were lead by courage to risk their lives for their nameless broth ers and sisters. Let us not forget that, togeth er, we have all founded this country; therefore, we can’t hate anyone because we all have at least three common threads: the red, the white and the blue. Mitchell is a fourth-year electronic journalism student. Go Gamecocks! LJ* betwee^V drinks per w I Based on campus-wide survey data collected from a random sample of USC students during the fall of 2001. Funded by a grant received from the U.S. Department of Education Safe & Drug-free Schools Program: Fhe Prevention of High-risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among College Students Project. Office of Student & Parent Programs • Russell House University Union • Department of Student Life • Division of Student & Alumni Services The day the world stopped CHRISTINA DISTLER GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM How New York looked from 3,959 miles away. “The World Trade Center does not exist anymore.” The broken, inconsolable voice of the radio speaker still echoes in my head whenever I recall the events of Sept. 11. The only thing that makes my experience of that day different is that I am German and that I was actually coming from work, headed toward my hometown of Bamberg, Germany, when the attacks occurred. Although the United States and Germany might be thousands of miles away on the map, life stopped in my home country, too. I drove home that day to find my entire family sitting in front of the TV, my dad crying, my sister and my mum shocked beyond words. As we see successful business people jumping out of the win dows of the Twin Towers on every channel, our minds are still try ing to understand what is hap pening and what the impact of these events will be on all our lives. I think about my friend Nora, who was working for tjie Leo Baeck Institute for Manhattan on 9/11 and pray she is safe. Our chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, appears on the screen and declares Germany’s unlim ited solidarity with the U.S. gov ernment and its people. My mem ory of the days and weeks fol lowing Sept. 11, however is not shaped by politics and political speeches. I remember the people, I remember the hundreds of flow ers people in Bamberg laid down in front of the U.S. Army base. I remember the people who were standing in line for hours to ex press their feelings in open books laid out in U.S. and German in stitutions, books that were sent to the States later. I remember the memorial services, the quiet marches with people walking through the cities with candles in their hands in absolute si lence. I remember the picture I saw in the newspaper — a young woman standing in front of the U.S. Embassy, clutching the American flag, trying to hide her tears behind it. I remember churches full of people desper ately searching for away to deal with their grief. And I recall the drawings and letters put up by children in public places all over Germany — clumsily scribbled notes they created to show that they care and to share their fears and hopes. For days, all regular TV and radio programs were can celed as stories of unfathomable tragedies reached us from the United States as each hour passed. But there were also stories of heroes, stories of hope and en couragement. Like the business man who was supposed to be at work in the World Trade Center at 8:45 a.m., but had taken time to talk to his niece and nephew back in Germany about their first day of school and therefore had been late. Because I have lived in the United States before, tragedy struck close to home that day for me. It was simply amazing to see how people all around the world, despite their individual cultural backgrounds and beliefs, were united in grief, fear and hope. Maybe it is this sense of togeth erness that we should keep in mind rather than seeking re-' venge as the shock of the events of 9/11 slowly wear off. Distler is an English graduate student. FROM THE COLLEGIATE NATION... Excerpts of columns from universities nationwide BY JOHANNA HANINK MICHIGAN IJAtCW. MICHIGAN) ANN ARBOR, MICH. (U WIRE) — In the year since Sept. 11, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves as a country: Between the McCarthy-esque tendencies latent in our na tion’s leadership, our shame ful victimization of Muslim and Arab-Americans, and the popularity of the truly heinous patriotic country ballads plaguing the airwaves, there’s a lot out there to criticize. But nowhere is it OK to nod our heads and whisper amongst ourselves that maybe the terrorists had a point. We have a moral imperative to constantly reevaluate the United States’ role on the world stage, but this impera tive exists in space—not with in the framework of terror. BY JON GARGIS THE CRIMSON WHITE (l\ ALABAMA) TUSCALOOSA, ALA. (U WIRE) — The one-year an niversary of Sept. 11 is here, and once again our country is being bombarded. This time, it’s not by terrorists on planes, but by news coverage, infotainment television, al bums, songs and printed me dia pertaining to last year’s attacks and the perpetrators, victims and heroes involved. Stores are lined with books of Sept. 11 pictures, stories from survivors of the tragic events, stories from the fami ly members of victims and oth er pro-America books. The magazine racks are covered with Sept. 11 special editions and Sept. 11-related cover sto ries. Indeed, the events of Sept. 11 are tragic, and we must re member those who died in the events, as well as the people who are out there trying to pre vent similar attacks from oc curring. But in the media’s push to present every person’s story from every angle, we are becoming overexposed and de sensitized to the events. BY JASON LENZ I N'lVERSITY DAILY (TEXAS TECH I .) LUBBOCK, TEXAS (U-WIRE) — With the anniversary of the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center upon us, we are reminded again of how the world operates. After one year, the world,-sadly, has changed very little. The coalition we so desper ately strived to forge after the attack is now on the verge of collapse. It seems the rest of the world is unwilling to go any further in the effort to kill any and all terrorists. The U.S. government has wisely decid ed to invade Iraq, this time not to drive Saddam Hussein’s mil itary out of Kuwait, but instead to remove him from power by whatever means necessary. i George W. Bush must keep himself focused on his objec tive. He made it quite clear at the outset of the antiterrorism campaign that anyone who did not support the United States was against the United States. BY MIKE STILL DAILY COLLEGIAN (PENN STATE II.) UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. (U WIRE) - Following the attacks, our nation and the world have acted in ways that hitherto seemed impossible. Americans rallied together as a people in a way unseen since the Second World War. One year later, we need to remind ourselves that it was not Iraq that struck at our cap ital, scarred Pennsylvania and caused the World Trade Center to fall, but terrorists umiueu uy viuieiu aau uaieiui rage toward America — pre cisely the type of rage engen dered by unilateral action and the flouting of international coalitions. One year later, we need to reflect on the horror of Sept. 11, honor those we lost, and find solace and pride in our ability to come together as a nation. We need to show the rest of the world that our response to the terror attack will continue to be one based on reason and not simply raw emotion. • One year later, we need to call on President Bush to pre sent a vision for our place in the international community, one that does not place us in a realm alone, cut off from in ternational support and dia logue. IN YOUR OPINION USC needs to cover real campus news I am appalled at USC. On Aug. 30, a female student was raped while returning to her dorm room. I had to read this in the Saturday, Sept. 8, edition of The State newspaper one whole week after the incident occurred. During that time, USC had adequate time to let the student body know that a rapist was on the loose. I can open The Gamecock and read about a bi cycle being stolen, but I can’t open it and read that a rapist is still on the loose. Instead of protecting the student body, USC is protect ing this predator that is still lurking around waiting on his next victim. How am I sup posed to feel safe on this cam pus if USC insists on keeping things of this nature a secret? APRIL BENNETT THIRD-YEAR HOTEL, RESTAURANT. TOURISM 4t MANAGEMENT STUDENT Kids’ center shows USC is on track I am appalled by the letter to the editor from Ning Yuan (“Eliminating tennis courts flouts creed, Monday) regard ing displeasure at the removal of tennis courts to build a chil dren’s center. It is truly sad when one indi vidual thinks waiting for half an hour to play a game is more important than benefiting so many others. I wish Ning Yuan would spend the next half hour reflecting on the children who will have an opportunity to de velop, grow, and benefit from the research there, and the uni versity researchers who will in crease their knowledge and share that information to help others. The Carolinian Creed reads, “I will demonstrate concern for others, their feelings and their need for conditions which sup port their work and develop ment.” The creed doesn’t seem to address entertainment. The USC administration is to be commended for building a state-of-the-art center at this location. Our university lead ers are right on track when they can see the greater good. JUDI R. BLYTH BUSINESS MANAGER SG Finance Bill asking too much In regards to the upcoming Campaign Finance Bill, does the Student Senate really think the students of USC are incapable of making their own decision? If candidates in an election are forced to disclose all the money they have received, who they have received it from, and what they have spent it on, won’t the students and The Gamecock be able to distinguish whether the candidate’s support is coming from members of their commu nity or from their own private wealth? It looks as if Student Government is once again trying to put its nose where it doesn’t belong, and make decisions that should be left up to the voter. KENNETH L. MURPHY II FOl'RTII-YEAH PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT Submission Policy Letters to the editor should be less than 300 words and include name, phone number, professional title or year and • major, if a student. E-mail letters to gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information.