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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 23, 1985)
editorial We must all respect one-parent families The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a report outlining the growth of America’s one-parent households. According to the report, there are 8.5 million single-parent families in the United States, with 90 percent of them head ed by women. Single-parent white families have doubled since 1970, to comprise a total of 20 percent of all American white families, while the total for black families has increased 24 percent to an astounding 59 percent of all black American families. The report goes on to say that in two-parent and patriar chal families, 13.4 percent of these familes were below the poverty level in 1983. But 55 percent of the matriarchal families lived below the poverty line that same year. Of the 7.6 million women nationwide who head-up a family, 3.2 million are divorced, 2.1 million have never been married, 1.8 million are married but are separated from their husbands, and about 500,000 are widows. What do these figures mean? Syndicated columnist Carl Rowan wrote an outlandish analysis of these numbers, which appeared in Wednesday’s Oregonian. He said: “This is a tragedy that reaches far beyond the loss of the idyllic American notion that a family consists of a man and woman with a couple of kids, living in a cottage covered in roses. The most deprived, abused, hopeless children in this land live in some of these one parent familes.” Rowan went on to portray these families as a moral aberration that should shame every American. Single-parent families are not a moral outrage, instead it is Rowan’s analysis that is. Many single parents attend the University and suc cessfully balance the responsibilities of parenting with be ing good students. These people are dedicated to their children and improving their children’s lives, as well as their own. Similarly, hundreds of thousands of single parents nationwide successfully balance work and family life. '1 While these families may not represent the “traditional American family,” they constitute no more or no less a legitimate part of American society than any two-parent family. To suggest that children are “abused” simply because they live in a single-parent family ignores reality. (The over whelming majority of child abuse cases occurs in traditonal two-parent families.) And to say that children are “deprived” because they have only one parent, discounts the love and quality time that these children may receive from that single parent. Con versely, there are millions of traditional American families that provide very little quality time or attention to their offspring. Of all the stresses placed on single- and two-parent families, economic stresses may be the greatest. Certainly, single-parent families generally have a much lower earning potential than their two-parent counterparts. But the Reagan administration, through its economic and social policies, has done little to aid these families. Instead Reagan, who was once a single parent, has done his best to destroy single parent households, in order to return to Rowan’s “idyllic” model. The single-parent family is a new phenomenon in American life. But this does not mean we should consider it to be an example of America’s moral degeneration. Instead, we should examine every American family on an individual basis and observe the quality of life experienced by all in that household. 'FUKTTHE WMEEL,NOWH(IS —THinSS AREGemn&OUTOf HAND!' letters Destructive I applaud the Emerald’s editorial viewpoint concerning the impact that publications like Playboy (and the philosophy behind them) have on our society. Ultimately, such philosophy leads to the treat ment of women as objects in stead of persons. The reasoning used to sup port your view was quite good, although I would like to add another point. The image of ideal sexuality as portrayed by the Playboy/Madison Avenue philosophy presents youth and physical beauty as being essen tial ingredients for true love and fulfillment. Also implied is the idea that permanent, caring relationships based on mutual respect and commitment are old-fashioned and stifling, whereas freedom and happiness come from being skilled or clever enough to attract and seduce large numbers of beautiful young women while carefully avoiding entanglement. What happens to relation ships based on such values and ideals when the beauty and youth fade (as they certainly will) or when health is gone or sexual desire grows less? What happens to those people who are used and abandoned by those who confuse love with lust? Is love more than a tem porary physical act? The apostle Paul, in a letter to the Corinthian church, discuss ed what love is: “Love is pa tient, love is kind, and is not Oregon doily emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403 The Emerald operates independently of the Universi ty with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press. General Staff Advertising Director Susan Thelen Production Manager Russell Steele Classified Advertising Vince Adams Controller Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales; Laura Buckley, Tim Clevenger, Jen nifer Fox, Michael Gray - Intern, Robin Joannides - Intern, Carlos Lamadrid - Intern, Marcia Leonard, Rick Martz, Nancy Nielsen, Brett Pickman, Laura Willoughby - Intern, David Wood. Production; Kelly Cornyn, Stormi Dykes, Manuel Flores, Kathy Gallagher, Dean Guernsey, Jackson Haring, Susan Hawkins, Kirk Hirota, Grant Keltner, Rob Kraft, Ross Mar tin, Karin McKercher, Lauri Neely, Kelly Neff, Kara Oberst, Curt Penrod, Michele Ross, Alyson Simmons, Peg Solonika, Karen Stallwood, Colleen Tremaine, Hank Trot ter, Mary VanCura. Editor Managing Editor News Editor Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor Sidelines Editor Friday Edition Editor Entertainment Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Administration Higher Education Politics ASUO Student Activities Community Features Michele Matassa Mike Sims Michael Kulaga Costas Christ, Dave Berns Brian Erb Brent De La Paz Sheila Landry Kim Carlson Michael Duncan Sheila Landry Jolayne Houtz Scott McFetridge Paul Ertelt Mary Lichtenwalner Diana Elliott Cynthia Whitfield Lori Steinhauer Reporters: Sean Axmaker, Kirsten Bolin, Michelle Brence, Robert Collias, Julie Freeman, Thomas Henderson, Robin Joannides, Allan Lazo, Adam Worcester. Photographers: Dean Guernsey, Kirk Hirota, Jim Marks, Ross Martin, Karen Stallwood, Hank Trotter. News and Editorial 686-5511 Display Advertising and Business 686-3712 Classified Advertising 686-4343 Production 686-4381 Circulation 686-5511 jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not re joice in unrighteousness, but re joices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures ail things. Love never fails.” Love gives, builds and heals, while lust demands, takes and destroys. William Moore Eugene Heathens South Africa’s government segregates against the races. A boycott will surely end this. Paul Olum said so, a man in a De Beers t-shirt said so, so it must be true. But why stop there? Let’s join forces and combat racism everywhere. Boycott Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia because they have ex pelled over 250,000 Jews and ghettoized the remaining few. Racist heathens! We must cut off all trade with Malawi, Zambia and Bostwana who have failed to cut off their trade with South Africa or have failed to prevent black workers from migrating to the Rand. South African imperialist cronies, they are. And what about Zimbabwe? Robert Mugabe makes lan Smith look like the Martin Luther King of African politics. Mugabe has killed off hundreds of former co-revolutionaries who are now in the opposition because they belong to different tribes. Mugabe is black, his followers are black, and his foes are black. Is Mugabe innocent of wrong doing because he oppresses his own people, or is it wrong only if one race oppresses another race? And what about these Euro peans. My God, even the enlightened Swedes use under paid Ottomans for less epicurian tasks. The English hate the Gypsies, nor are they too fond of Irish Catholics. Lock up their trade and throw away the key. The Soviets have more than four million people in slave work camps, everyone knows about Cambodia, and Idaho has neo-Nazis. Boycott the world, I say (ex cept for Iceland, they're nice). Dan Goulet Eugene Thy Enemy I consider the pictures in Playboy closer to art than pornography. Women — know your enemy. If you are concerned about negative stereotypical portrayal or violence against your sex. protest against magazines such as “Front Page Detective." which typically combines violence against women with males coming to their rescue with more violence. Or if the idea of being portrayed as a blonde bimbo turns you off — protest against television pro gramming such as “Three's Company.” But Playboy is a quality publication with a thoughtful and sensitive editorial staff. It raises issues that concern not only sexual dynamics but also our relation to the 20th-century society. It publishes first-rate fiction and dynamic interviews with world figures, as well as articles and columns on technology, law, art, music and book reviews. Girls — are you only looking at the pictures? Alexander Balogh Journalism Letters Policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters con taining fair comment on topics of interest to the University community. Letters to the editor must be limited to 250 words, typed, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is turned in. I he Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style. Letters to the editor should be turned into the Emerald office. Suite 300, EMU.
