opinion
Media misses
on Olympics
It’s easy to get cuaght up in all the brouhaha surround
ing the Los Angeles Olympics and to start chanting “USA!
USA!” and waving the American flag, especially if one
doesn’t look beyond what’s offered in the assorted media.
Since the Olympic torch began its ballyhooed fund
raising jaunt across the nation — it cost each carrier $3,000
for the privilege of toting the thing — the American public
has been bombarded with news of a swelling national pride
and growing patriotism.
It’s difficult to find fault with that or to argue with that
conclusion. Yet we do find fault with the media and believe
they have fallen short of the ideal of the Olympics — an ideal
that was within their grasp to promote.
The Olympic Games stand for the unification of the
human race, the breaking down of barriers, and they provide
a forum to display the fact that we’re all not so different after
all. The media certainly could be covering the Olympics
from that angle, but instead they are taking the easy way out.
The media coverage is propagating a definite us vs.
them attitude. It’s fine to cheer for a favorite, but the true
Olympic spirit lies in the beauty of the competition. That
beauty is not diminished if the medal winners are athletes
from foreign countries. Yet the public has been given little
opportunity to fully appreciate that beauty.
It is no wonder so many people have taken such a na
tionalistic approach; that’s all the assorted media have
allowed them to read and see. Newspapers overwhelm
readers with the trials and tribulations of U.S. athletes, yet
the experiences of foreign athletes could rival our own.
The worst offender is ABC. In Sunday’s men’s 220-meter
freestyle swimming event a West German, Michael Gross,
broke a world’s record and captured the gold medal.
Another West German, Thomas Fahmer, garnered a bronze
medal for third place. In its live coverage, ABC failed to
mention Fahrner and glossed over Gross because Americans
finished second and fourth.
The world is spilling over with nationalism, patriotism,
and territorialism. But as technology continues to grow, the
world continues to shrink; the future — for better or worse
— calls for the people of the world to grow closer together,
not to build more walls.
The Olympics stand for a breaking down of the barriers
that separate the countries of the world. The U.S. media are
doing a disservice to the people by missing the point.
raises questions
In a special session Monday, the Oregon Legislature
repealed a method of taxing multi-national corporations that
do business in Oregon. The unitary tax, as it was called, sup
posedly deterred corporations from setting up shop in the
state and was vehemently opposed by Gov. Vic Atiyeh. It
was his prodding that brought about the special session.
Atiyeh says corporations, primarily from Japan, will
hasten to take advantage of the new system. Meanwhile, the
state’s coffers are reduced by $15 million annually as a result
of the tax cut.
Atiyeh pushed for the special session and the vote, yet,
ironically, it doesn’t take affect until 1986. Not only that, the
Legislature has bandied the issue for nigh on a year.
Consequently, the whole process has served to spark
our curiosity. Why was it so necessary for the Legislature to
decide now to repeal the unitary tax? While the state waits
for economy-saving corporations to settle in, what does it do
about the $15 million shortage?
If someone satisfactorily answers these questions, we
might join Atiyeh in acclaiming the repeal.
•>VE REAGAN
ADKINISIMON
HAS DECLARED
✓ THIS AREA
TNVIRONMENTAUY
SAFE
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letters
Real soldiers
I am shocked and saddened
by the message of the statue
“Corporate Soldier” that ap
peared in the EMU Courtyard
Thursday. The statue is of a
figure with weapons and a
helmet and is made of rusted
machine parts. The message
that I draw from the statue is
that the sculptor believes that
all soldiers, or at least American
soldiers, are machines, or toys,
or something to be blown up
and scored for points in a video
game.
Having known a number of
soldiers in my time, 1 can assure
you that they are real honest-to
God human beings, complete
with human feelings, including
especially fear.
The thing that I found very in
teresting about this statue was
that it accompanied a poster for
the Students Cooperating to Op
pose Registration and the Draft
(or some such, I may have got
ten the name wrong, but the
sentiments I'm sure of). That an
organization that opposes war
and a military draft should sup
port the posings of this sculptor
strikes me as ridiculous. They,
of all people, should know that
soldiers in any modem army are
people just like themselves.
In fact, if they fail to suc
cessfully oppose registration
and the draft, the soldiers in
America’s next war might be
those very same student
activists.
The last thing that they
should want to do is spread the
dangerous notion that soldiers
are anything but scared kids.
These notions, along with
medieval notions of the glory of
war and the elan of the troops,
do the most to encourage
generals, presidents, polit
bureau members and suchlike
to throw their troops into wars.
Thank you for your attention.
, Stewart R. King
Classified staff, psychology
Mushrooming ?
A recent report by the
American Civil Liberties Union
documents the continuing con
tempt displayed by the Reagan
administration toward the
rights of the American public to
debate public policy, which is
codified in the First Amend
ment of the Consitution.
The report ‘‘Free Trade in
Ideas: A Consitutional Im
perative” notes that Reagan’s
adherence to a free and unfet
tered “marketplace” does not
include ideas and information.
Using a variety of laws, the cur
rent administration is engaged
in a broad campaign to restrict
and control the movement of
ideas and information across
the American border.
The methods include a
revival of the infamous
McCarran-Walter Act which
permits the exclusion of aliens
from the United States on the
basis of their political beliefs;
restricting the right to travel by
imposing passport restrictions
and by prohibiting expen
ditures to and from certain
countries; inhibiting the impor
tation and dissemination of in
formation from abroad through
extensive labeling and repor
ting requirements (such as the
designation, last year, of
political propaganda to three
award-winning Canadian films
distributed by the prestigious
National Film Board of Canada,
which dealt with nuclear war
and acid rain}; and export con
trols on scientific data.
Evidently, the Reagan ad
ministration has decided to
adopt the mushroom growers
theory of public debate about
governmental policy, i.e. keep
them in the dark and feed them
bull manure.
David Isenberg
Graduate,
International Studies
Sharing blame?
I am particularly annoyed by
Michael Cross's selective
reading of the Democratic
record. Let me refer to several
blatant propagandists remarks
which need to be corrected.
1. Diplomatic relations with a
country does not imply ap
proval of a country’s internal
politics. Recognition in 1933 of
the Soviet Union by Roosevelt
was prompted by mass starva
tion due to Stalin destroying
Russian agriculture with his
agricultural collectives. Several
million people died and
diplomatic relations were
established to facilitate a
massive famine relief effort to
save lives.
2. The Korean and Vietnam
wars were bipartisan in their in
ception. Joint Republican and
Democratic congressional ac
tion started our involvement in
Vietnam. If you don’t believe
this, Mr. Cross, check to see that
the Gulf of Tonkin resolution
Continued on Page 3
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