Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
PO. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
www.dailyemerald.com
Thursday, September 27,2001
Editor in Chief:
Jessica Blanchard
Managing Editor:
Michael J. Kleckner
Editorial Editor:
Julie Lauderbaugh
Assistant Editorial Editor:
Jacquelyn Lewis
Editorial
We are happy
Knight is back
What an enormous, flooding sense of
relief. Phil Knight loves and trusts
the University again. At first, it may
seem like a small thing, especially
in relation to the horrifying events of the last 16
days. But it isn’t a small thing. The entire Univer
sity community should be in support of the Nike
CEO’s gesture of reconciliation. Knight is support
ing us again, and we are glad.
uur sense or Happiness shouldn t be mistaken,
however. Inhumane working conditions are never
acceptable. American companies that do business
in other countries should do their best to help in
corporate benevolent standards for overseas work
ers and their economic situations. Americans
should not be the only people in the world who
can expect safe, respectful working conditions.
We are also concerned about the University’s
willingness to do business with just anyone. Per
haps if taxpayers were more supportive of higher
education, universities across the country
wouldn’t have to depend upon multi-million
aires for academic improvements. The Oregon
State Legislature is equally stingy about appro
priating money, forcing state institutions to seek
fiscal help from just about anyone willing to give.
But Knight isn’t just anyone. Perhaps Nike
could do more to provide improved working con
ditions in its subcontracted factories across the
globe. Perhaps there is more the University could
do in its relationship with Knight to bring that
about. But Knight is the University’s largest
donor ever, and his consideration reaches both
academics and athletics. The Knight Library is
the state’s largest library, and that’s Knight’s mon
ey. The Knight Law Center has allowed both our
law school and other departments to grow and
expand, and that’s Knight’s money. In short,
Knight is a close friend of the University, and the
whole community benefits as a result.
If the campus community does indeed want to
help change the world — especially as regards
workers’ rights, global trade or manufacturing
standards — it is more effective to engage those
that one wishes to influence rather than alienate
them. Knight isn’t going to listen to anything the
University Senate, the ASUO or student activists
have to say if he is disassociated from the Uni
versity. Our contracts for athletic and trade
marked apparel aren’t enough of a carrot to dan
gle in front of Nike’s nose. We must work
together.
In light of the recent attacks on America,' it is a
grand feeling to realize that one of the most con
tentious issues of the last school year has
achieved some resolution. It isn’t over, though.
Concerned students, faculty and alumni should
continue to speak up about their belief in human
rights and fair trade. We share those concerns; we
are just thankful that the campus community
once again has Knight’s trust and support — and
his ear.
Editorial Policy
These editorials represent the opinion of the Emerald
editorial board. The editorial board members are editor
in chief Jessica Blanchard, managing editor Michael J.
Kieckner, editorial editor Julie Lauderbaugh, assistant
editorial editor Jacquelyn lewis, community
representative Gabe Shaughnessy and community
representative Jessica Southwick. Responses can be
sent to editor@dailyemeraid.com. Letters to the editor
and guest commentaries are encouraged. Letters are
limited to 250 words and guest commentaries to 550
words. Please include contact information. The Emerald
reserves the right to edit for space, grammar and style.
. -y y * i I i i t < t J I i-r-'f t * < i N i > i I ) ) i M.
Fighting off post-attack ignorance
The Sept. 11 terrorist attack
was the largest single loss of
life in the United States since
the Battle of Antietam during
the Civil War, and it has cultivated a
fear and loss of security unlike any
our generation has experienced.
In the past two weeks, those in
tense emotions have turned into hos
tility targeted at Americans with
Middle Eastern heritage, especially
Muslim and Arab communities.
Though the anger, pain and frustra
tion experienced in the aftermath of
such a devastating event is natural,
the display of retaliation stemming
from ignorance and fear makes the
loss even more tragic.
There are six to seven million
Muslims in America, roughly the
same number as Jews, making up the
second or third
largest religion in
America after
Christianity. The
Koran is similar
to the Bible, at
least in that it can
be easily be ma
nipulated by ex
tremists.
So how do Is
lamic fundamen
talist terrorists fit
into the larger pic
ture of Islam? The
same way that fa
natic David Koresh
fits into the Christian religion? Obvi
ously not. As Americans, we would be
outraged if people from another cul
ture assumed we were all potential
Unabombers or Timothy McVeighs.
Yet only hours after the attacks, Is
lamic schools and businesses were
threatened. During the following
week, a mosque in Texas was bombed
and numerous assaults against Arabs
have been reported. In our own com
munity, residents of Middle Eastern
descent have been threatened and
ugly graffiti bearing hateful com
ments directed ridiculously at the en
tire country of Afghanistan or
“Arabs” has appeared.
Turning the loss into anger and di
recting it at a group of people based
upon their cultural heritage is ignorant.
And it’s ignorance that is lumping Mus
lims, Arabs and other people of Middle
Eastern descent into a group that many
Americans see as threatening.
With all of the TV-watching and
newspaper-reading that America has
done in the past two weeks as details
continue to unfold, why are so many
Newell
Columnist
Peter Utsey Emerald
Americans in tear ot other Americans,
for the sole reason that their parents
were from the Middle East, or that they
attend a mosque rather than a Christ
ian church? Have they missed the arti
cles reporting that Muslim leaders are
condemning the attacks and the Mus
lim community is calling the terrorism
irrational and un-Islamic? Do they re
alize that the Islamic religion prohibits
terrorism and attacks against women,
children and civilians? Or that a large
number of Muslims in America are
African American?
America prides itself on standing
for equality and open-mindedness, so
why is it that, throughout our history,
there are countless examples where
we continue to discriminate against
our fellow citizens based on the ac
tions of a radical few?
Do we assume that all Italians are
linked to the Mafia? That all African
Americans are in gangs? That all Irish
are drunks? Of course not — even the
mention of those ridiculously general
ized statements is ignorant.
Americans of Middle Eastern de
scent take pride in their heritage, but
also in the fact that they are Ameri
cans. They also feel the pain and
loss of Sept. 11. As a country, we’ve
pulled together in patriotic protest
to what happened, but we need to
make sure we don’t also pull our
selves apart by isolating a large
group of Americans. If we continue
to point fingers and allow fear and
ignorance to cause us to turn against
our neighbors, we have let the ter
rorists win.
Rebecca Newell is a columnist for the Oregon Daily
Emerald. Her views do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald. She can be reached at
rebeccanewell@dailyemerald.com.
Don t treat Earth like it's invincible
Guest Commentary
Joe
Kinney
As people are becoming
aware, there does appear to
be signs emerging that the
planet Earth is demonstrat
ing finite capabilities to support the
continued existence of life. The at
mosphere appears to be heating. The
oceans appear to be declining in their
ability to support life. Also, many
species of wildlife are disappearing.
The reason this situation should be
ing thought in the social sciences re
gards the planet having infinite ca
pacity to support the continued exis
tence of life as an important premise.
All theology, philosophy related to
governments and philosophy related
to the cultural habits of people were
developed with the belief being that
the planet had infinite capacity to
support life, ages ago, when the plan
et truly appeared to be as big as the
universe to people. The philosophies
being respected at this time largely
determine how people judge ques
tions of right from wrong. Also, al
though most people may not realize
it, the philosophies being respected at
this time motivate couples to have
gree. As a consequence, the world
population is growing in an exponen
tial fashion. The world population
grows in number similarly to how
bacteria grows under favorable condi
tions. Every generation is bigger than
the generation preceding it.
Without a major change occurring
at this time regarding the philoso
phies people respect, I believe life on
this planet will be rendered a non
surviving future. This is because the
currently respected obsolete philoso
phies are motivating the world popu
lation as a whole to behave very de
structively toward life's long
enduring survival interests.
, Joe.Kinneyjs.fcom Plajntield, Indiana.
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