Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Publisher
Managing Editor
JENNINE PERKINSON
TIM TRAINOR
Advertising Director
Opinion Page Editor
EO MEDIA GROUP
East Oregonian • The Daily Astorian • Capital Press • Hermiston Herald
Blue Mountain Eagle • Wallowa County Chieftain • Chinook Observer • Coast River Business Journal
Oregon Coast Today • Coast Weekend • Seaside Signal • Cannon Beach Gazette
Eastern Oregon Real Estate Guide • Eastern Oregon Marketplace • Coast Marketplace
OnlyAg.com • FarmSeller.com • Seaside-Sun.com • NorthwestOpinions.com • DiscoverOurCoast.com
MIKE FORRESTER
Pendleton
Chairman of the Board
STEVE FORRESTER
Astoria
President
TOM BROWN
Bigfork, Mont.
Director
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Pendleton
Secretary/Treasurer
JEFF ROGERS
Indianapolis, Ind.
Director
OUR VIEW
Grad rates
must go up
OTHER VIEWS
The bedrock of Oregon’s 40-
We’ve already started investing
40-20 plan is that 100 percent of
more dollars in new programs,
Oregon students will graduate high
starting from the ground up to get
school on time in the year 2025.
Oregon students on track right from
That’s not going to happen,
preschool. That’s smart and a good
obviously. Young people have all
use of tax dollars. But it isn’t going
kinds of extenuating circumstances
to help improve graduation rates
that can keep them from graduating
for more than a decade, and adding
on time, many of
a lost decade to
which cannot be
numbers that have
The failures
avoided. Even
been too low for
state education
too long isn’t good
cannot be
RI¿FLDOVDGPLWWKDWD
for the future of our
leveled only
perfect high school
state.
graduation rate is
Pendleton
on the schools. Superintendent
an aspirational goal,
Jon
Neither can it Peterson channeled
one that cannot be
accomplished.
inner Aaron
be placed on the his
The psychological
Sorkin at last
lack of dollars. week’s school board
EHQH¿WRIDFKLHYDEOH
goals aside, the state
meeting, summing
It’s a cultural
is not even close
up the ways in
to approaching
which we have let
problem.
a perfect score.
down this current
Oregon’s
FURSRIVWXGHQWV
graduation’s rate is among the
“They went through the recession
nation’s worst. More than 1-in-
where we eliminated 15 days
4 students are not graduating on
of school in one year,” he said.
time with a diploma. If that were
“They’ve experienced, all of the
translated into a letter grade, it
sudden, larger class sizes that no
wouldn’t be one you’d be excited to kid prior to them has experienced ...
show your parents.
They’re coming out at the end and
Surely the failures cannot be
we scratch our heads and wonder,
leveled only on the schools. Neither
‘Why are we graduating only 72
can it be placed solely on a lack of
percent of our kids?’ (It’s) because
dollars. It’s a cultural problem as
we fund education at a 72 percent
much as an educational one, and we level is the truth. It makes me sick
all bear a certain responsibility.
to think about the experiences of the
One thing that schools should
kids that are coming through now
confront right away is the dismal
compared to the experiences we all
truancy rate in Oregon. Just getting
had when we went through.”
kids to class goes a long way
More money will help. But
toward getting them to graduate.
more likely, it will takes thousands
Identifying reasons why students
of people — administrators and
skip class more regularly in Oregon
teachers and parents and students —
— whether it is open campuses, too
to reinvigorate the Oregon education
many open periods during the day
system from the ground up. We’ve
or a lack of personal investment
started the process, but current high
in their showing up — needs to be
school students have been left out to
addressed.
dry.
I
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of Publisher
Kathryn Brown, Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, and Opinion Page Editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
&RQÀLFWDQGHJR
f you read the online versions of
to generate a visceral response.
newspaper columns you can click
They are a different kind of play
over to the reader comments,
of dominance. They are attempts by
which are often critical, vituperative
LQVLJQL¿FDQWPHQWRJHWWKHZRUOGWR
and insulting. I’ve found that I can
recognize their power and status.
deal with these comments only by
These Islamic State guys burn
following the adage, “Love your
hostages alive because it wins praise
enemy.”
from their colleagues, because it earns
It’s too psychologically damaging
attention and because it wins the sort
David
to read these comments as evaluations
Brooks of perverse respect that accompanies
of my intelligence, morals or
fear. We often say that terrorism is an
Comment
professional skill. But if I read them
act of war, but that’s wrong. Terrorism
with the (possibly delusional) attitude
is an act of taunting. These murderous
that these are treasured friends bringing
videos are attempts to make the rest of us feel
me lovely gifts of perspective, then my eye
powerless, at once undone by fear and addled
slides over the insults and I can usually learn
by disgust.
something. The key is to get the question of
The natural and worst way to respond is
my self-worth out of the way — which is
ZLWKWKHVRXOLQÀDPHG,IWKH\H[HFXWHRQHRI
actually possible unless the insulter is really
our guys, we’ll — as Jordan did — execute
creative.
two of their guys. If they chest-thump, we’ll
It’s not only newspaper columnists
chest-thump. If they kill, we’ll kill.
who face this kind of problem. Everybody
This sort of strategy is just a recruiting tool
who is on the Internet is subject to insult,
for the Islamic State. It sucks us into their
trolling, hating and cruelty. Most of these
QLKLOLVWLFVWDWXVZDU7KHLUEDUEDULVPDQGRXU
online assaults are dominance plays. They
response.
are attempts by the insulter to assert his or
The world is full of invisible young men
her own superior status through displays of
\HDUQLQJWRIHHOVLJQL¿FDQWZKR¶GORYHWR
gratuitous cruelty toward a target.
VKRFNWKHZRUOGDQGOLJKWIRONVRQ¿UHLQDQ
The natural but worst way to respond is
epic status contest with the reigning powers.
to enter into the logic of this status contest.
The best way to respond is to quiet our
If he puffs himself up, you puff yourself up.
disgust and quiet our instincts. It is to step out
But if you do this you put yourself and your
of their game. It is to reassert the primacy of
own status at center stage. You enter a cycle
our game. The world’s mission in the Middle
of keyboard vengeance. You end up with a
East is not to defeat the Islamic State, which
painfully distended ego, forever in danger,
is just a barbaric roadblock. It’s to reassert the
needing to assert itself, and sensitive to
primacy of pluralism, freedom and democracy.
sleights.
It’s to tamp down zeal and cultivate self-
Clearly, the best way to respond is to step
doubt. The world has to destroy the Islamic
out of the game. It’s to get out of the status
State with hard power, but only as a means to
competition. Enmity is a nasty frame of mind. that higher moral end.
Pride is painful. The person who can quiet the
Many people have lost faith in that
self can see the world clearly, can learn the
democratic mission, but without that mission
subject and master the situation.
we’re just one more army in a contest of
Historically, we reserve special admiration
barbarism. Our acts are nothing but volleys in
for those who can quiet the self even in the
a status war.
KHDWRIFRQÀLFW$EUDKDP/LQFROQZDVFDXJKW
In this column, I’ve tried to describe the
LQWKHPLGGOHRIDKRUUL¿FFLYLOZDU,WZRXOG
LQWHUSOD\RIFRQÀLFWDQGHJRLQDUHQDVWKDWDUH
have been natural for him to live with his
trivial (the comments section) and in arenas
LQVWLQFWVDÀDPH²¿OOHGZLWKLQGLJQDWLRQ
that are monstrous (the war against the Islamic
toward those who started the war, enmity
6WDWH,QDOOFDVHVFRQÀLFWLQÀDPHVWKHHJR
toward those who killed his men and who
distorts it and degrades it.
would end up killing him. But his second
The people we admire break that chain.
inaugural is a masterpiece of rising above the
They quiet the self and step outside the status
natural urge toward animosity and instead
war. They focus on the larger mission. They
adopting an elevated stance.
reject the puerile logic of honor codes and
The terror theater that the Islamic State
status rivalries, and enter a more civilized
group is perpetrating these days is certainly
logic that doesn’t turn us into our enemies.
in a different category than Internet nastiness.
Ŷ
But the beheadings, this monstrous act of
David Brooks became a New York Times
human incineration, are also insults designed
Op-Ed columnist in September 2003.
YOUR STATUE VIEWS
5HTXDGRZQWRZQGRHVQ¶W¿W
with rest of statues
proposed Don Requa statue being placed in
%URZQ¿HOG3DUNIRUYDULRXVUHDVRQVDVVL]H
cohesiveness with statues already in place
and history.
I would like to bring to the attention of
3. The people upset about the placement
the city council the original purpose of the
of the Don Requa statue are connecting
statues on Main Street here in Pendleton.
The thought at the time was to recognize the it to other city problems and saying if the
city doesn’t listen to them about this that
early participants in the Round-Up. These
they will vote against any city bond and
names have been familiar with rodeo fans.
urge others to do the same. So the Requa
The Hall of Fame refers to Pendleton as the
statue has become a focal point for political
Cowboy Capital of the World. Most people
backlash.
call Pendleton the Rodeo City. The statues
4. People do not understand why the city
are history, tradition and frame of mind.
won’t change the placement of the statue
While Don Requa is important to some
after all but one of the other statues has been
SHRSOH,GRQRWIHHOLWLV¿WWLQJWRSODFHKLV
VWDWXHDPRQJWKH¿HOGRIWKHHDUO\5RXQG8S moved. “Why not save all the taxpayers
money and just put the statue somewhere
participants. It destroys the purpose of both
JURXSV7RPHDPRUH¿WWLQJSODFHZRXOGEH else?” they ask, as well as, “Why aren’t they
listening to us?” (I have no answers to these
WKHDWKOHWLF¿HOGDWWKHKLJKVFKRRO+HZDV
queries).
an athlete, not a rodeo participant. I hope
However, I do have a question of my
WKHFLW\FRXQFLOFDQVHH¿WWRUHYHUVHLWVHOI
RZQ,IWKHVWDWXHSODFHPHQWFDXVHVVXFK
and recognize the original purpose of the
dissension among the people of Pendleton
thought.
Robert Stangier will it really honor Don Requa or become a
Pendleton focal point for more unhappiness? I hope the
Arts Council, the Linebackers Club and the
city council will rethink their decision. It’s
not too late.
Not too late to listen and
rethink location of statue
I have been mistaken for a member of
the Arts Council of Pendleton several times
now and gotten an earful about statues both
standing and in progress. I would like to pass
RQP\¿QGLQJVUHJDUGLQJVWDWXHV
1. Some people are still upset about
the Stella Darby statue, seeing it as an
inappropriate promotion of prostitution.
Others are willing to accept it as local
history.
2. Many people are very upset about the
Marge Normington-Jones
Pendleton
Requa belongs at high school,
where it can be focal point
The Don Requa bronze should become
a historical focal point on the campus of
Pendleton High School.
In these times, students have few
opportunities to develop and nurture the
history and traditions of their school. One of
shopped here.
The cowboys? Why not just move them
to the Round-Up Grounds and, while we are
at it, move Til Taylor to the courthouse.
How silly and petty can we be? Can’t we
¿QGWKLQJVPRUHLPSRUWDQWWRVSHQGRXUWLPH
on?
Don Requa did more than coach. He
taught many of us to drive. He laughed
with us when the city put in the Main Street
“mall,” that zig zag down the “gut” that
WXUQHGLQWRDJDPHRIWRXFKWKHWUDI¿FFRQH
after we discovered it was nailed down.
Put his statue on Main Street where he
can be seen by his students, their children
and grandchildren.
$¿QHPDQLQVWUXFWRUDQGFRDFKGHVHUYHV
a place to be seen and remembered for more
that just football.
Susan Goodnow
Pendleton
LETTERS POLICY
the service clubs or leadership groups at the
school needs to capture this opportunity to
keep Coach Requa’s story alive.
Bring him home!
Shirlee McGreer
Pendleton
.HHS5HTXDDW%URZQ¿HOG
and let’s all move on
Can we please stop arguing about statues
on Main Street?
Put the statue of Coach Don Requa on
Main. He lived here, he worked here, and he
The East Oregonian welcomes original
letters of 400 words or less on public
issues and public policies for publication
in the newspaper and on our website. The
newspaper reserves the right to with-
hold letters that address concerns about
individual services and products or letters
that infringe on the rights of private cit-
izens. Submitted letters must be signed
by the author and include the city of
residence and a daytime phone number.
The phone number will not be published.
Unsigned letters will not be published.
Send letters to Managing Editor Daniel
Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendle-
ton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastorego-
nian.com.