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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2000)
Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz Editorial Editors: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas Newsroom: (541)346-5511 Room 300, Erb Memorial Union P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu Thursday January 13,2000 Volume 101, Issue 75 Erfierakl A sign of the times Bryan Dixon Emerald TT~ mW" ablas Espanol? Par • M_m lez-vous Frangais? K t Parli Italiano? JL JL Ever wanted to learn a second language? Any one who has ever wanted to do so at the University has had numerous op tions and could easily enroll in any of the countless classes offered, which range from Spanish to Swedish to He brew. But while any of these classic tongues of the world is accepted as the foreign language requirement some may need to graduate, one lan guage remains to be recognized as a valid one to fulfill the requirement. This form of communication doesn’t involve any oral speaking, but it’s def initely a way to say something. Someqne finally formally raised the question of why it’s missing from the list of languages that can be used to fulfill the foreign language require ment: Currently, the ASUO plans to present a proposal to the University Senate to include American Sign Lan guage as a foreign language option. Great idea. In fact, you have to won der why such a plan hasn’t been put into effect already. How is it that a class with the word language in its ti tle doesn’t deserve to be seen as just that — a language? Seems like a mat ter of logic to me. Sign language, the third most wide ly used language in the country, is the only American visual language that exists. Why should it be considered of any less value than any other lan guage just because it has a different la bel? Aside from the fact that sign has its own complex syntax, grammar and vocabulary different from the English language, the deaf community has its owm culture and history that is just as rich and valid as any other. One of the apparent reasons sign hasn’t been accepted on an equal level with other languages has been the lack of recognition of that cultural his tory and literature. “Culture is difficult to define. It is not in this instance referring to clothes, food, etc.,” said Johanna Lar son-Muhr, the University adjunct pro fessor of American Sign Language. “But [the deaf] have a different per spective and world view that in essence, along with different grammar and vocabulary indicates that there’s a cultural difference.” When outsiders step into a foreign world, they must not only know the language but must understand the culture also to best communicate with the other group. Every culture has its own values and sensitivities that strangers must learn in order to avoid actions that could be found offensive or rude, although such actions may appear meaningless to them. Isn’t this part of what learning another lan guage is all about? For example, one thing to respect in the deaf community is to never sign “excuse me” when passing two peo ple in the middle of a conversation. It’s considered an impolite interrup tion in contrast to other cultures that see it as a polite manner. Keeping eye contact at all times when talking to a deaf person is also very important in the culture. Just as one who takes Spanish will know how to interact ap propriately with people in Spain, one who takes sign language will know the dos and dont's of communicating with the deaf. Besides such aspects, ASL’s culture also includes literature that many may not realize exists. There’s film, poetry and plays written in and for ASL. It’s been proven and researched by linguists as having all the elements of a language — still the University hasn’t accepted it. “There’s a lot of misinformation and ignorance about ASL,” Larson Muhr said. “But it is and has been rec ognized as a language and as having no relation to English by so many im portant institutions, and I think the University should also give recogni tion where recognition is due.” Not recognizing ASL degrades a sig nificant population’s language, which goes against everything for which the University stands. The University has always emphasized the importance of diversity and learning of other cul tures, so here’s a perfect opportunity to follow its goal. More than 90 other universities and colleges count ASL as a foreign language. The University should take this as a sign to give the language the recognition it’s entitled to. Beata Mostafavi is a columnist for the Emer ald. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the paper. She can be reached via e mail at bmostafa@gladstone.uoregon.edu. Beata Mostafavi Calling all brides and grooms Planning a spring or summer wed ding? The Emerald - is seeking out Uni versity students, faculty or staff to offer anecdotes and information about the process, with stories to run in a Jan. 25 bridal supplement. Please call the Emerald office, 346-5511, and leave a message— with phone num ber and best time to reach you—for supplementeditor jack Clifford. Editorial round-up Americans uncomfortable with the concept of evil By Mary C. Curtis Knight-Ridder Newspapers So the tapes from Columbine have been released, and every one knows what the killers want ed, what they were thinking, whom they wanted to punish and impress. And you know what? We still can’t make sense of it. The killers hated everyone, just for being. They wanted fame. They quoted Shakespeare and planned — carefully and painstakingly. They wanted to kill. Some people have reacted with disgust at the police and the press for even releasing their evil thoughts and shallow desires. While I agree that the parents of the victims should have been the first to see the tapes, I am glad the tapes were made public. Maybe now people will stop making the victims somehow complicit in their own murders. Remember right after Columbine? Everyone immedi ately tried to explain: How could this happen, and most especial ly, why? It seems to be the first question people ask when something un explainable happens. When it came out that the two boys hated jocks, some had an a ha moment. “They hated jocks; they were picked on by jocks; they were driven to it.” In finding a reason, reason itself was dis carded. In reality, students described the killers as more bullies than bullied. One of these “loners” took a date to the prom. These “jock haters” carried on their killing spree in the cafeteria and library, not the gym or weight room. And the victims themselves were really the ones working against the odds. They included an undersized, sickly boy who fought back to become an athlete, a once-lost soul who found re demption, a shy child who joined debate for confidence — a baker’s dozen of talented, loving and loved individuals. What did they do to deserve their fate? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Hollywood rebels reinvigo rating movie industry By Philip Wuntch Knight Ridder Newspapers Welcome to the era of cynical cinema. We applaud its pres ence, even while pondering how long it will last. Skepticism is the birthright of artists, whether of screen, stage or printed page. And in the 20th century’s final year, the force born of discontent energized American film for the first time in 30 years. “American Beauty,” “Magnolia,” “Cradle Will Rock,” “The Insider” and “The Hurri cane” reflect the sense of right eous indignation that fueled some of the best American movies of the past. The last great golden age of American cinema occurred dur ing the late ’60s and early ’70s, when national unrest reached a stormy peak unmatched since Civil War days. Political turmoil nurtures creative fury, but Bill Clinton’s Zippergate never regis tered a government fallout simi lar to Richard Nixon's Watergate. Political disillusionment may be a factor in the current resurgence but only a minor one. Disillusionment with formula is a more immediate cause for this winter of discontent, it’s a reasonably safe assumption that even the most prosaic filmmaker dreams of startling both audi ences and critics. Yet much of the past two decades’ film mak ing was keyed to special-effects formulas. Either we were advised to love our alien brethren or kill those drippy creatures from outer space. We were encouraged to ei ther understand terrorists or de stroy them. And if older teens, we were told to hurry up and get laid. Doubts, skepticism, cynicism, rebellion. By whatever label, these traits have fostered any era’s most supreme artistic achievements. They’re with us again, and let’s appreciate them while they last. In the shaky Hol lywood union of artistry and commerce, a rebellious filmmak er may soon be treated like an unwanted child. But there’s always hope. After hearing that his film received six Golden Globe nominations, “American Beauty” director Sam Mendes told the Los Angeles Times that he hoped to prove that “a story is the only special effect that will never go out of fashion.” Long live rebellion. College Press Exchange