Page 126 - Phoenix1999-2000

Thursday. March 9, 2000 - Page 6 COMMENTARY Staff The new reality for a new millennium My mom says that I'm just cynicat... My Edward K. Schultheis discusses great world, but constantly I find myself Co-Editors-In-Chier girlfriend says I'm just plain difficult.i.My Laura Beth Kelley '01 dad says I act just like my mother ... But that's the new reality that has become meandering over to the cynical side of life. Jenifer D. Sirkis '01 the mainstay of today 's society. Maybe my own problem is the problem that another story. is plaguing our society today. Managing Editor Does my mother have a point, however? saying also ...But then Iremember .. .I'm sup- Maybe I'mjust a freak and other people Matthew Thomas '01 Have I become a cynic? Have Ijust decided posed to be writing a positive story. The only view the world as being perfect, and that it's to look for the bad in everything} My father problem is, it's not as clear-cut as Ithough it great and nothing needs to change ... These News Editors once told me, "Anyone can write a negative was going to be. are probably the same people that believe Staci L. George '03 story, but it takes a real writer to write a posi- I look around me and see such beautiful nowadays Francesca Saylor '00 tive story." The problem is I never really things, I see children playing at the play- politicians again. ... oops, there is that cynicism thought about it until I sat down to write this ground, I see a wonderful environment, and We sit at home, we talk on the computer, Features Editor story. Kate Esposito '01 I see a truly perfect existence here in 2000. we spend more hours in front of the televi- We live in a time where violence, hate, Then I think about the things we are doing sion than we do talking with our friends in Assistant Features Editor and destruction are so prevalent that we just that is destroying that existence ... I see chil- some cases, does this bring us closer to our- Shauna Dominguez '02 integrate them into our lives, and exhibit dren shooting other children, I see an envi- selves and one another ... My guess is No! them at any given time. We have also be- ronment being destroyed by pollutants, Isee While r might have not made any construe- Commentary Editor come a society full of depression, sarcasm so many things that darken my perspective tive point in all this, r did try my best at a Edward Schultheis '03 and one laced with-vcolortut metaphors." on an ideal world. purely "positive" editorial; and while Imight When did this happen? Or have we always So as you can see, Imay be looking for a have failed, perhaps it has helped you. in see- Assistant Commentary Editor been like this? Matthew Hurff'03 utopian life, or perhaps I am even looking ing that the world isn't always so black and We look at the news and we see violence from a pessimist's perspective, but what I white, that it is completely gray. Sports Editors stretched out across the whole broadcast. We do not understand is why we continue to do Some might say that Iam a pure utopian, MikeYestramski'OI look at movies and we see violence that is such horrible things. that I want a society that will never Chris Anastasia '02 even more gratuitous then we saw five years Just this past week, there were numerous exist...Others might say that I'm a pessimist, ago. shootings around the United States, includ- looking for the bad in everything, looking Photographers I remember when Mortal Kombat came ing one where a 6-year-old walked into for a way to tum good into bad. I think what Brad Widner '03 out years ago. It created such a response from school with a gun and proceeded to shoot a it comes down to is that I'm a realist, in that Erin Owen '01 parents; that instead of discontinuing the classmate almost point blank. Maybe this is I realize that the world is so good, but some- gruesome game, years later games with 10 the reason 1 have such a hard time thinking times, that pure wholesome goodness is de- Staff Writers times the violence have appeared on the Claire Adams '02 about the good of the society. Certainly, it stroyed by our selfishness. Eric Barry '00 shelves. does not help. Oh well Dad, sorry, at least Itried. Inever Anne Butler '01 One might wonder what I am trying to There are so many things that I am happy realized it would be so hard, but then again, Joan Faulkner '02 say here. And in fact, while I continue to type for here, and there are so many things that I maybe mom is right...Maybe Ijust have be- Jessica Fitzgerald '03 away at my computer I wonder what I am appreciate about this great country and this come a cynical person. Kristen G. Fraser '00 Dan Gadd '00 Greg Lederer '01 Do "special" months segregatB~ng~~tX~,!-:1~b~r1, Stacey M. Meyers '02 Mohindra Ramphal '03 Iam sure most of you know by now (es- Brian Griffiths exammes the or gender? Condensing all of the history of Ryan Seavolt '00 pecially since the media has been reminding implications of having special blacks and women into separate months Tamrni Slater '03 everybody every chance they get) that Eeb- months for people and groups. each? Does this outrage anybody else nearly Michael Stokes '00 ruary was Black History Month. as much as it does me? Nykole Tyson '02 Michael Wiles '03 And I am sure some of you know that of history gets top nod. While Iam at it, multiculturalism is a big March is "Womyn' s Herstory Month." My second point deals with curriculum. problem too. I respect the fact that every- Distribution And if you are anything like me, you Public schools in the state of Maryland are body has different cultural beliefs, practices, Rich Suchoski '00 should be outraged that two such months supposed to, and I quote from the Anne and customs based on their ancestry or reli- exist at all. Arundel County School Schedule, "devote gion. But why do we have to remind every- Student Adviser (And as a side note, what person dreamt an appropriate amount of time to exercises body that we're different? Megan K. Martin 'OJ up the spelling of "Womyn's Herstory respecting certain holidays, including Black Shouldn't we be promoting unity and fo- Month?" I mean really, if you're going to History Month." cusing on our similarities and not our differ- Graduate Assistant have a special history month, at least have Now what does that mean to John Q. ences? The majority of us are Americans. Vince Chesney the common decency to spell the names Public's kid? It means that lessons contained The people of this country should be right. J understand that hardcore feminists in the regularly planned curriculum are proud that no matter what religion or race Faculty Adviser Terry Dalton' do not like anything with the word "man" in shunned in lieu of Black History Month les- we are, whether we are white, black, yellow it, but these words are derived from the origi- sons. or green, whether we are Catholic or Protes- nal Latin. Please respect the spelling that Black History and Womyn' s Herstory tant,Unitarianorvegetarianthatweallshare the world has used for the last one thousand Month's are just microcosms of a much big- the common thread of being American in our years.) ger problem. I know that I'm going to get hearts. ThePhnenixispublishedbiweeldy. The opinions expressed do not necessarily rep- Don't get me wrong. I believe that labeled as a racist for my comments, since it Conservatives get an absolutely miser- resent those of The Phoenix staff, the fac- women and blacks have done very impcr- seems that any time anybody points Out the able rap when it comes to race relations. The ulty, or the administrators ofWMC. tant things in the history of this country. I ludicrously of such things like this, they ob- media always portrays them as racists, stuck The paper welcomes free-lance submis- believe that our children should learn about viously can't be for equality. And that is just in the ways of the Old South, throwing out sionson Macintosh disks in most word pro- their accomplishments as much as those of what the problem is. The liberals in the press Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms as rae- cessorformats. Theeditorsreservetheright people of other races based on their impor- have decided that separation of the races is a lsts. Don't get me wrong, some conserva- to edit for clarity, length, and libel and to tance to the history of this country. But there good thing. tives share some of these views. publish as space permits. All submissions are serious flaws with the creations of these This is why such moronic programs as But a majority of Conservatives believe (excluding self-addressed diskettes) become months. Affirmative Action still exist. Liberals be- in equality for all races, creeds and sexes. of Inde- that the Declaration the property of The Phoenix and cannot be Month Anybody notice the Womyn's Herstory lieve that setting quotas for the hiring of mi- We remember has a phrase in it that you might board bulletin next to Glar? to ensure that they pendence Notice norities is a good thing returned. it is approximately 25 percent filled up with get jobs. have heard of; "All Men are Created Equal." Please include a name and phone num- ber for verification. Names will be withheld pictures primarily of models? . And it looks good ... on paper. Until you It is LiberaJs who insist on keeping programs only bytbediscretionoftbe Editcrs-in-Chief First off, let me give you at hypothetical realize that people who are not qualified for and promoting ideology that makes them un- example. J am a WASP male. If there ex- their jobs get them based on quotas. True equal. .- isteda white history month, I would be pretty story. In 1983, American Airlines was hir- Dr. Martin Luther King.Jr. said in his The Phoenixdoes notdiscriminatebased on age, race, religion, gender, sexual orien- mad. why? Because it would seem to me I ing a pilot for a specific route. The field of most famous speech, "I have a dream that that white history would have been deemed candidates was whittled to two: a white male one day this pat\?n wi,l,I.rise uP. a9~ li~e our tation, national origin, condition of handi- unimportant and irrelevant except during this and a black female. the true meaning of its creed: We hold these cap, or marital status. one month that comes every year. That The white maJe had higher qualifications, truths to be self-evident, that all men are ere- people should only be forced to learn about more experienced, was described by his su- ated equal ...J have a dream that my four little Mall to: The Phoenix white history during that month of the year. periors as an excellent pilot, and was even- children will one day live in a nation where WMC, 2 College Hill I have several female and black friends who tually hired. they will not be judged by the color of their Westminster, MD 21157 believe the same about these two respective The woman sued ... and won ... $4 million skin but by the content of their character." 1, j~ (410)751-8600 months. based on Affirmative Action because Ameri- That was nearly forty years ago. FAX, (410) 857-2729 That the history of blacks and women re- can A'irlines did not hire nearly enough mi- With the continued existence of such E-Mail:-ph~_@wmdc.edu spectively are so irrelevant that they are dealt norities to suit the government. things as Black History Month and Affinna- with one month out of the year while the rest Does anybody else see a problem here? tive Action, we still have a long way to go.