Opinion
Letter to
the
Editor
The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, April 10,1996
<1
GARVISON, STEP DOWN! ! !
Dissent, upheaval, disrup
tion of the status quo, through our
history all these have been nec
essary ingredients in the preser
vation of human rights, freedom,
and democracy. Requiring ac
countability from our public in
stitutions ensures they remain just
that - public institutions. It takes
a great deal of courage to stand
up and be the one, maybe the only
one, to raise the questions and
persist until they are adequately
answered. It also takes a great
deal of intelligence to succeed in
uncovering inconsistencies and
even more cunning to manipulate
constructive results. It also costs.
Anyone reading this who
knows the personal cost of step
ping out in front and voicing dis
sent also knows the price of those
few minutes of being heard. Any
organized group trying to accom
plish something wisely chooses
a spokesman who will make the
best use of such costly time. I
must go on record to say I did not
choose and would never choose
John Garvison as a spokes per
son for the monitoring of fiscal
accountability here at Clackamas
Community College.
Quite frankly I feel he and
the UnderGround have done à
great disservice to those who
would support more aggressive
measures taken toward public re
view of CCC fiscal policy. Mr.
Garvison, I implore you, either
get a vocabulary, learn some re
search skills that will uncover
something worthwhile, and dem
onstrate some respect for the fo
rum you are so foolishly assum
ing you are qualified to partici
pate in or shut you mouth! The
only thing I would listen to from
you at this point is a public apol
ogy to John Keyser, Gary Dirrim,
Jan Anderson, and Joe Uris.
Those of us who know anything
at all about them, our numbers
are many, also know the degree
to which you have made an utter
fool of yourself.
Members of the under
ground staff: there is so much
worthwhile that you could do to
represent truly useful dissent.
Please stop wasting such a privi
lege!
Karyn Hanson
It's time you
saw less
of your dog.
He says...
She says...
April should be White,
Heterosexual Male Month
It’s your turn to sit in the
back of the bus
Jack Evans
Staff Writer
I am not a racist, nor am I a
chauvinistic pig. I never judge a
person by their looks, beliefs,
gender, or sexual preference, etc.
My whole philosophy on people
is, “If you are cool to me, then
I’ll be cool to you.” I believe ev
eryone should be treated equally,
and I thought that was what soci
ety was turning towards — equal
ity for all.
Welcome to the 90’s,
though, where being politically
correct is the only rule for soci
ety. From what I’ve figured out
from this whole political correct
ness bit is that every
one is supposedly
equal. Almost every
one.
For the past few
years, I’ve noticed
that some unknown
entity has taken the
liberty to declare
certain months “(fill
in your favorite race
or lifestyle here)
History Month”. For example,
February is Black History Month,
October is Explore-Your-Sexual-
Orientation Month and March is
Women’s History Month.
Just about every month of
the year celebrates somebody’s
heritage. However, there still
must be inequality in the system
because I have never had the
chance to honor my race, gender,
or sexual orientation. Why? Be
cause I am a white, heterosexual
male.
It has now become taboo to
be white. Society is convinced
that whites are the most bigoted,
racist people in America. The
KKK and extreme conservatives
are constantly being exploited all
over the talk show and tabloid
TV circuit, leading a lot of people
to believe that all whites are rac
ists.
I’m sorry to say that, just like
gangs make up only a small per
centage of the black community,
and the majority of Hispanics are
not illegal aliens, there are not
many whites that fit the neo-nazi
stereotype. Every time I hear
about Caucasians in society, they
are always the oppressors, threat
ening to destroy the diversity of
this nation. Who cares that in a
short time, whites will be a mi
nority? In a lot of places, they
already are.
In an age where feminism is
taking major leaps, it has also be
come wrong if you are bom male.
According to certain “groups” in
this country, I am a sexist, chau
vinistic pig, wanting a female
companion to do three things for
It has
now
become
taboo to
be white.
MONTH
Before
All dogs need exercise and the
right diet to stay healthy,
happy and fit.
A Message From
The American Kennel Club
For a free Responsible Dog Ownership Packet write
AKC, 5580 Centerview Dr., Raleigh, NC 27606.
me: cook, clean, and fulfill my
sexual desires. They consistently
contend that men want to repress
and degrade women, making them
basically our personal slaves.
Oh, yes, there is a strong
sense of sexism in this country —
against men. Take, for instance,
the female that got into the Cita
del. Had that been a male wanting
to enter an all female school, the
public would have been outraged,
shaming the male.
It is also now politically in
correct to be a heterosexual and
be openly proud of it. When I was
twelve year§ old I saw a homo
sexual parade, put on by the ho
mosexual community
for the public. To this
day, seven and a half
years later, I have neither
heard about, nor seen a
heterosexual parade.
They claim they do
not have the same status
as heterosexuals, yet
they have their own
month, even a nationally
recognized day, exploit
ing their behavior/beliefs. When
was the last time you saw a group
of heterosexuals marching around
and making out, in the streets, cry
ing out, “We are straight, and
proud of it!”?
There is not enough time, nor
enough room, though, to fully de
fend my statuses in one measly
column of a college newspaper,
> which is why I am proposing that
the month of April be declared
National White, Heterosexual
Male Month.
This month would be divided
into three 10 day sections. The first
10 days would focus on white his
tory, and all the wonderful contri
butions whites (both male and fe
male) have made to society.
The second part would con
centrate on the celebrating the
male gender, all races of it, and
what great contributions men have
given to society.
The final portion would cover
the joys of heterosexuality, a time
when straight people would have
the opportunity to come out of the
closet with their homosexual
friends. Every race and gender
would be included for those 10
days.
I don’t think that’s asking too
terribly much. After all, females,
homosexuals, and all the other
races of the world each get a whole
month for each category they fall
under; we would be cramming
three classifications into one
month. If society has a problem
with this proposal, then I suggest
we get rid of all the heritage
months. I was bom this way. I can’t
change how I was bom.
Laney Fouse
Copy Editor
groups. These include minori
ties, women, people with dis
Whenever a writer starts an abilities, homosexuals and oth
article with a disclaimer such as ers previously marginalized.
“I am not a racist, nor am I a chau
I don’t agree that being
vinistic pig,” I become suspi white is “taboo.” I have a lot of
cious. Why do you feel a need to white friends who happen to be
justify your position?
nice people. I didn’t choose them
Perhaps you don’t judge oth because of their skin color. The
ers by their looks, beliefs, gen true spirit of friendship is identi
der or sexual preferences. Al fied by what we give to one an
though you do set your standards other as humans.
of acceptance or tolerance based
The nationally recognized
on coolness. Just exactly what is months you speak of are celebra
your definition of coolness?
tions of people previously ig
You say this is the basis of nored. What you have witnessed
your philosophy. But isn’t phi for all of your nineteen and a half
losophy a critical study of funda years are people like myself who
mental beliefs and the
have tired of being
grounds for them?
suppressed. People
Multi
Critical in this sense
who are tired of the
means careful judg
prejudice and the dis
culturalism
ment not criticizing.
crimination. These are
What does coolness
people
who have for
IS
have to do with funda
several years struggled
mental values?
nothing for equality. People
Like you, I believe
who want to end the
new.
everyone should be
challenge of assimila
treated equally. Unfor
tion. People who for
tunately, this has not been the too many years undergone what
case. But, then again, we you must be feeling now. .
wouldn’t have had anything to fill
I agree that one day the white
the pages of our history books. majority will probably become a
It appears from your article that minority, perhaps even as early
history is not your forte. Perhaps as the mid-2000’s. This is a good
I can help.
thing. Maybe we could then
Multiculturalism is nothing achieve a better balance in our
new. Long before the arrival of society where no particular group
the first European explorers, the dominates. Maybe this would
native Indian peoples were di- - eliminate the need for equal op-
vèrste in thèfr languages, beliefs ■ portunity programs and politi
and ways of life.
cally correct terms.
Later the importation of Af
Furthermore, if females are
rican slaves, Asian laborers and making such major leaps, how
Mexican migrants brought fur come we get paid less to do the
ther variety to the already Euro same job as a man? Why are we
pean dominated society.
still the ones to do the majority
Some theorists believed that of the housework and raising
by the early 1900’s the great children?
American melting pot would lose
If you truly believed every
its differences and become one one should be treated equally,
national identity. However, given 1 then you shouldn’t feel put upon
the nature of humans, most pre because you’ ve been asked to sit
fer to preserve their cultural iden in the back of the bus for a while.
tities while participating in the If you want to be really offended,
mainstream of American society. wait until the time comes when
Over the course of the twen you have to prove your heritage.
tieth century, Americans’ views
Lgrew up on the Pinolevillè
on diversity were transformed by Indian Reservation in Northern
the Holocaust during World War California in what is a federally
II, the Civil Rights and Women’s recognized tribe. Yet, I get in
movements in the 1960’s, and the sulted every time that I must
sharp rise in Asian and Latin prove my heritage by providing
American immigration after a birth record, a Bureau of Indian
1965.
Affairs enrollment number or
By the mid
1980’s some Tribal affiliation.
“multiculturalism” created pro
Unfortunately, there isn’t
found implications on educa- i enough room in this newspaper
tional and public policy. Bound- to
l fully explain what happened all
aries formally set by the white, those
I
years before you were bom.
heterosexual male dominated so- 1 Let’s just suffice to say that you
ciety were forced to broaden be- have
1
nothing to whine about. Be
yond racial, ethnic and religious ; sides...it’s not cool.