Editor in chief: Jack Clifford
Associate Editors: Jonathan Allen, Jeff Smith
Newsroom: (541)346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Thursday
June 22,2000
Volume 102, Issue 2
Emerald
Take a step back before you dive into judgment
Too many of us are quick to judge the actions of those willing
to take a stand for their beliefs. We shouldn’t be.
A recurring commentary from certain segments
of the local population regarding this past week
end’s anarchist rally was that it didn’t accomplish
anything and was just destructive. The word was
that it only created more trouble for police offi
cers, wasted tax money, scared business owners
and intimidated some Eugene citizens.
Some people used more constructive criticism
aimed at the protest. While seeing the call to com
pletely overhaul our current society as idealistic,
they say at least it has merit in the fact of trying to
bring about change, change to a system they see
becoming increasingly more unfair.
But where were the people making those
claims? Yes, a few were at the Washington-Jeffer
son Park, getting a first-hand look at what they
eventually rebuked. Yet, the vast majority of ob
jectors to the “Carnival Against Capital” were
most likely at home, watching it all play out on
television. Watching the events unfold while sit
ting around, maybe eating chips and dip, talking
to the tube as if it could carry on a dialogue.
Well, it can’t.
And if you are going to criticize this anarchist
movement, then you need to seek out more infor
mation about it, because it’s not all about a bunch
of testosterone-laden punks running through the
streets, breaking stuff. Those are the images that
are seen because those are the images that the me
dia want you to see.
The Emerald is not absolved from this igno
rance. This newspaper doesn’t always seek out
the more responsible voices in the community
when it comes to finding out exactly what anar
chy truly means in Eugene.
We fall into the same trap as other newspapers
and the television stations in town. We splash the
more vocal, more antagonistic minority voices
across our pages, and call it good. We don’t take
that extra step, make that simple phone call or
seek out a saner opinion on the real issues and an
opinion on what might be real solutions to the
problem.
There are several examples of critics claiming
that something they disagree with is a travesty,
and yet then it’s found that the person or group
doing the criticizing hasn’t even truly seen what.
“offends” them. The Robert Mapplethorpe pho
tography exhibit in Cincinnati about 10 years ago
falls into this category. So does Martin Scorcese’s
movie “The Last Temptation of Christ,” which
when it was released cause a firestorm of contro
versy among Catholics, although most never saw
the film.
We — all of us who are not clued into the entire
picture — do the same thing with the anarchists.
We watch on TV a bunch of people play Red
Rover in the street and curse those damn punks.
Excuse us, but when did the game of Red Rover
ever have anything to do with anarchy? Do you
think that if Mikhail Bakunin or Emma Goldman
— two anarchists fighting for the working class
and women’s rights, in the 1860s and 1880s re
spectively — had been on the streets of Eugene
this past Sunday they would have been playing
Red Rover? Highly doubtful.
But don’t let the antics of a few sway your opin
ion of the group at-large. The next time you want
to criticize the anarchists in town, find out who
they really are.
Check out groups such as the Industrial Work
ers of the World, the Wobblies, at
www.efn.org/~iwwlu. Go see what volunteers
with Food Not Bombs do each Wednesday, Friday
and Sunday at 4 p.m. in Scobert Park — yes, that’s
in the Whiteaker neighborhood, but word on the
street is that they don’t bite. Instead, they serve
free vegan meals to the people who want some
decent food.
Then, if you still don’t like their politics, or
their desire to be free from such institutions alto
gether, at least you can make an informed opin
ion.
And look at it this way, at least you’ll get a
break from your TV watching.
This editorial represents the view of the Emerald editorial
Board. Responses may be sent to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Learn howto minimize your major‘party fouls'
With memories of Info Hell home
work, bio finals and aca
demic responsibility
quickly melting in the hot
summer sun — at least for
those of us not taking sum
mer courses — it’s time to
let down our hair and go a ft
little crazy ... isn’t it? Yet
we still need to be aware
and not totally lose control
of our judgment, which 1
could allow the slowest- ■
paced season to get out of £
control. (
While tropical weather
and barbecues coax party
goers outdoors, the sight of
large groups of socializing
young people, beer cans,
red plastic cups and raging
music tends to attract police.
Though it’s natural to want to take
the fun outdoors, open containers
outside can result in a slew of fines
from police, especially if underage
Commentary
Rebecca
Newell
drinking is involved.
According to the Eugene
Police Department, those
of you 21 or over are in the
clear if drinking at a pri
vate residence or a li
censed establishment. But
the moment you step onto
the sidewalk or into the
parking lot of a nearby 7
11, you can be charged
with consumption in a
public place.
And if one underage per
son at a party decides to
take their drink outside —
to check out the neighbors,
relieve themselves in the
bushes or perform any oth
er act that only makes
sense when you’re intoxi
cated — they’ve just provided proba
ble cause for the dwelling to be en
tered. Minor In Possession is only
the beginning of possible charges,
and fines can add up to astronomical
amounts, not to mention marring
your criminal record.
In this widely proclaimed “party
season,” we women especially need
to be cautious. Roofies, or the “date
rape drug,” medically named Ro
hypnol, has been showing up in col
lege communities all over the United
States during the past year. This col
orless, odorless drug creates a
drunken effect within ten minutes of
ingestion and results in extreme
sleepiness. Alcohol only speeds up
this process, and contributes heavily
to the amnesia that typically sur
rounds the 8-hour period after in
gesting a roofie.
So girls, while going hot-tubbing,
skinny-dipping or for a beer run
with your new male “party friend”
may seem like an exciting and spon
taneous idea, it can also be extreme
ly dangerous. Exercise caution, espe
cially at large parties, where the
crowd and noise alone draw people
— what your mother would label
“strangers” — from who knows
where.
The buddy system you used to
cross the street when you were 5 re
ally is a smart move. And using com
mon sense — such as not taking
drinks from someone you don’t
know or trust and not leaving your
drink somewhere without watching
it — will help keep you out of trou
ble.
Have you tuned me out yet? Am I
starting to sound like your mother,
or even worse, reminding you of
your grandmother? Just remember to
have fun safely this summer. Sure,
act a little crazier than normal. Enjoy
yourself in ways not always possible
during the academic year. But re
member to buckle your seat belts
while enjoying the ride.
Rebecca Howell is a reporter for
the Emerald. Her views do not nec
essarily represent those of the Emer
ald. She can be reached at
mewell@gladstone.uoregon.edu.
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Thumbs
To Senate approv
ing hate-crime leg
islation:
The Senate voted
Tuesday to
strengthen federal
hate-crime laws to
include violence
based on gender,
sexual orientation
and disabilities.
The decision was
long overdue, but
still faces a tough
battle in the
House.
To having more
change to pay the
meters:
With the increased
production of pe
troleum we should
be seeing a drop in
those annoyingly
high gas prices.
The Federal Trade
Commission isal
ready investigating
signs to fix those
prices, which
means we might
actually have
enough change
left in our pocket
to avoid the park
ing ticket lady.
To the entire week
end of unrest:
To the so-called
reenactment of
last year’s riots, to
the unnecessary
saturation of po
lice officers and to
the unnecessary
lengths of time ar
restees were de
tained at the Lane
County Jail.
To letting the ref
erees decide the
NBA Champion
C'mon, did we re
ally need the whis
tle to blow with
less than a minute
left in Game 6 of
the NBA Finals?
The Lakers were
up 110-109, but
two questionable
calls later, Los An
geles won. Weak!