OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED DAILY SINCE 1912
CRAIG LANG, Editor
CRAIG LANG, Edito
SUSANNA LOOP, Managing editor
KIMBERLY CRATTREE, Editorial editor
TOM EBELEN, General manager, news adviser
MARK OZAK, Business manager
DENNIS MAUPE, Retail sales manager
JUSTIN KNUPT, Technology coordinator
JA YSTENER, Sales and marketing adviser
4A
Wednesday, April 30, 1997
Jeff MacNelly / CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Editorials
Fuzzy Zoeller's comments show that golf still has a long way to go
Political correctness has permeated society. Some people use political correctness to justify racial stereotypes, arguing that words are just words.
This is the argument Fuzzy Zoeller made after he had initiated an upsurge of protest when he referred to Tiger Woods as "that little boy" and after his statement to reporters that Woods should not put "fried chicken ... or collar greens or whatever the hell they eat" on the menu for next year's Masters banquet.
Zoeller apologized and said that he had only been joking. But Zoeller shouldn't apologize for getting caught. He should apologize for his prejudiced beliefs.
When Tiger Woods won the Masters, some people thought golf had become magically integrated and that years of White domination of the sport finally
Words can't bridge the gap between the races; only understanding can.
had come to an end. Although Woods' accomplishments on the golf course have diversified the playing field, they have not affected the attitudes some golfers have toward minorities. Woods has taken the first step toward better integrating golf, but because of people like Zoeller, it will take time for golf to become truly independent of discrimination.
Indeed, Zoeller may be sorry for his words. But is he is sorry because he lost the sponsorship of Kmart and the respect of many of his colleagues or fans, or is he sorry because he made an ignorant racial statement that was
offensive to minorities?
Words serve a purpose. Although words often fall short of their desired meanings, they nevertheless are a sub-conscious reflection of our feelings. Sure, America may have become overly sensitized about some of the words people say. But judging from our country's history of heinous social injustices against minorities, it is no surprise.
Some argue that political correctness is a form of censorship. But even political correctness cannot censor feelings. Perhaps Zoeller let his true feelings slip with his derogatory comments and blamed political correctness for allowing them to be exposed. If this is the case, then Zoeller's apology is from the mouth and not from the heart. Words cannot bridge the gap between the races in this country. Understanding can.
NICK ZALLER FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Leathers, helmets can save lives
Spring is here, and among the sights and sounds of spring are birds singing, flowers blooming and motorcycles roaring.
Many students can be seen zipping around campus and the city on these machines, and because Kansas doesn't have a helmet law, many of them are doing so bare-headed.
Many people imagine bikers to be large men dressed in leather. Although few motorcyclists are unaware of the coolness factor involved in riding, the picture of the man in leather has survived, not just because those clothes are cool, but also because they are safe. Motorcycle safety has to do not only with how you drive, but also with what you wear.
Many accidents involving motorcycles are the fault of people in cars who don't watch for motorcyclists. However, lack of fault doesn't keep the motorcyclist from being the one most seriously injured.
Safety precautions can literally save motorcycle riders' skin.
Regardless of the temperature, riding in shorts and tennis shoes can cost you your life if you're in an accident. Leather gloves, even fingerless ones, can save your hands in an accident and also can reduce the numbing effect of the bike's vibration during long-distance riding. Motorcyclists also should wear boots and jeans and some sort of jacket, at least at thick as denim. If a rider is thrown from the bike, this could literally save his or her skin. Motorcycle magazines are good sources for
information on 'all-weather leathers', jackets that can be worn in hot weather. These items can be price, but they are cheaper than skin grafts.
As for helmets, everyone has heard the arguments by now. But if you've ever seen a pumpkin or a watermelon when it hits the pavement, you get an idea of why helmets are wise. Wearing safety goggles while riding also is wise. That's because if you're going 40 miles an hour or more and a large bug or a piece of gravel hits you in the eye, the chances are good that your control of the motorcycle will be hampered severely, and it could result in an accident. Objects can fly at the face from the side, too, so sunglasses don't adequately solve the problem.
If motorcyclists don't think about safety now, they may not get a second chance.
KANSAN STAFF
V. MEREDITH TOENJES FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
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Letters: Should be double-spaced, typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
How to submit letters and guest columns
Guest columns: For this semester are no longer being accepted because of time constraints.
All letters and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom. 111 Staffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut or select all submissions. For more information, call K Crabtea (opinion@kansan.com) or LaTina Sullivan (sulillane@kansan.com) at 864-4810.
Column
America's oldest pastime resurfaces
Golf is a game of separatism. Played individually on an antiseptic field, there is no physical contact between players, not even direct contact between the player and the ball.
It struck me as perversely appropriate, then, that golf has provided the backdrop recently for an incident of prejudice, the ultimate separatism and the oldest American pastime.
conard greens at the next Masters Tournament dinner. I honestly don't know what is more disturbing: the old-world callousness of Zoeller's remarks or my own lack of complete surprise that such racism exists.
I've been thinking about Fuzzy Zoeller's racial slur against Tiger Woods with an approximation of shock and resignation. Zoeller suggested that Woods, an African American, not order
I've been trying to come up with some fresh way of looking at the issue of prejudice, without histrionics, cliches and big grand blanket statements. I've come to the conclusion that there is no fresh way of looking at the issue. Old-school prejudice has begun its umpteenth season as our favorite sociological spectator sport.
I am afraid that we are combating prejudice with an increasingly one-sided approach, in which members of minority groups are forced to work overtime to overcompensate for the ideological laziness of the prejudiced. The net result: Both sides end up living in a world of surfaces.
When Tiger Woods won the Masters last week, the media focused on his prodigious talent, his youth and the fact that he was the first African-American player to win the tournament. Commentators extolled Woods as a positive role model for all and a boundary breaker.
I also fear that this concern with visibility can serve only to exacerbate differences. As minorities make watershed achievements, they are turned into heroes — Tiger Woods is golf's Jackie Robinson, the press screams. I find these coronation ceremonies disturbingly reductive as they shift focus from talent to the extraneous issues of skin color and sexual orientation.
In the fight against prejudice, visibility is a key issue, as members of minority groups strive to gain a place in the American consciousness through the media. A recent example is the perceived great victory for the gay and lesbian community: Ellen DeGeneres' recent personal and professional coming out, making her the first gay lead in the history of prime-time television.
Why is it that we can be so careless about more important areas of life, yet we are relentless stickler for detail when it comes to skin color and sexual orientation? We are obsessed with handicapping each other with our differences. Empathy is at a premium. Too often we choose to understand only that with which we can empathize.
A heightened awareness of minorities is inarguably positive. Unfortunately, even the most positive developments arrive with disturbing complications.
I think about my father, who sat before the television a few weekends ago cheering for Tiger Woods. Like Tiger Woods, my father understands golf. Like Tiger Woods, he understands what it is like to have darker skin. Yet I remember his reference, a few years ago, to a character in a movie as "a queer."
I fear that visibility is not enough. The visibility of scores of prominent African Americans in our culture — from Jackie Robinson to the Rev. Martin Luther King — obviously has done little to
assuage the racism that motivated Zoeller's comments, not to mention the racist tendencies of millions of others who are more discreet.
Fuzzy Zoeller's comments have revealed a revisionist strain of racism just as virulent as previous outbreaks. It is a game played in polite silence and scored with hushed whispers.
Simply being exposed to members of minority groups does not guarantee understanding. For many, being exposed to people who are gay or African American is like being exposed to an allergen; it is less offensive in small doses, until you learn to tolerate it (definition of "tolerance": intolerance on low volume).
What good does it do to reveal homosexuality if prejudice is allowed to fester in the closet? Empathy is the key. Until then, we stand on uncertain turf, swinging blindly at a target, whipped by the winds of change, and coming up short.
Michael Martin is a Lenexa sophomore in English and Journalism.
Letters
Group's ex-president distorted the truth
In a letter published April 22 in the Kansan, the Classified Senate's past president Mike Auchard attacks the Kansan editorial staff for distorting the truth.
Auchard says, "You state that there is a dispute between Classified Senate and the Graduate Teaching Assistant Coalition. This is not true. It never happened." Let's take a look at what did happen.
In a January meeting, Classified Senate president Thela Simons mentioned that the Graduate Teaching Assistant Coalition (GTAC) had asked her to participate in a GTAC event. She proceeded to say that because the University might not approve, the Classified Senate shouldn't participate. We'll ignore the obvious implications for free speech and for independence of the Classified Senate from the administration. The Senate president didn't exactly proclaim an eagerness to work with GTAC.
She finished and asked if everyone agreed. I said that I didn't and that there was nothing wrong with the two groups cooperating.
Tom Hutton, director of University Relations, had been invited to the meeting to discuss a different matter but jumped in on the discussion anyway.
Hutton said the Classified Senate had no reason to cooperate with GTAC because GTAs were not truly employees, but only interns preparing for a very privileged position in society.
I responded by saying that I understood that this had been the University's position in the past, but now that position had been completely discredited. The state's Public Employee Relations Board ruled years ago that GTAs are employees, with full rights to organize and bargain in good faith with their employers. I was astounded that Hutton — an official voice of the University — would say otherwise.
But, far from admitting his mistake, Hutton had a tantrum. "Don't accuse me of being anti-union," Hutton yelled at me. "Don't accuse me of being a
pawn of the administration." I had accused him of nothing — except being wrong about the official status of the GTAs.
She informed me that I had acted inappropriately, and she said that a meeting was being scheduled to consider formal action against me. Before long, I received a letter of reprimand from the Classified Senate executive committee — simply for talking with GTAC about an important issue which concerned GTAS.
I felt strongly that the GTAs had a right to know that a member of the administration was spreading misinformation about their status. So, I e-mailed the president of GTAC to let her know what had happened. As a courtesy to the Classified Senate president, I let Simons know that I had informed GTAC about the events of the meeting. I was stunned by her response.
In his zeal to lambaste the Kansan for distorting the truth, Auchard himself deliberately obscures the real issues: A member of the administration misrepresented the official status of GTAs — talk about distortion — and had a tantrum when corrected. The Classified Senate reprimanded one of its members for not keeping quiet about it. And the Senate continues to insist that it is inappropriate for its members to even talk with members of GTAC.
■ Richard Kersenbaum former Classified Senate member, manager of Technical Services
Abortion is emotionally and physically harmful
In response to Amy Rew's April 18 letter on abortion and the Right to Know Act, I felt compelled to offer her and others the truth about the issue. The fact is, many women in the United States are physically and emotionally scarred by the effects of the abortion procedure.
It is true that abortion is the most commonly performed medical procedure; however, the complications are much more prevalent than Rew would have you believe. Allan Osser, physician, and Kenneth Persson, physician, said in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, "pelvic
This letter is a reply to a guest column in last Wednesday's paper concerning the exploitation of Black athletes.
Black athletes are not the only exploited ones
infections are a common and serious complication of induced abortion and has been reported in up to 30 percent of all cases."
Mental and psychological complications from abortions are numerous. Anne Speckhard, physician, in her study on post abortion syndrome found the following effects on women: 54 percent had nightmares related to the abortion, 61 percent increased their use of alcohol and 65 percent had thoughts of suicide.
The Right to Know Act is vital in the role of education expectant mothers that abortion is a danger to their health and a sure death to their child.
She states that Black athletes dominate all major sports, which is not entirely untrue. But it's pretty audacious of someone to imply that an exceptional African-American athlete is treated differently by a university than a Caucasian one.
Scott Wallisch
St. Louis freshman
I found this column to be borderline offensive and complete farce. What in the world was the author thinking when she likened a slave in chains to an African American in a basketball jersey?
Coming to the university, all scholarship athletes have the same opportunities. It is up to them to choose their path and to see it through. All ethnic groups are alike; if an athlete dreams of becoming a coach or manager in the future, then maybe he or she should think about not spitting on umpires or headbutting referees.
And it would probably be a step in the right direction not to get picked up on a felony charge. To get to the position of running a sports franchise, all you need is talent and drive. Look at Magic Johnson: Not even contracting HIV could stop him from coaching a successful team. Remember this: Universities exploit all of their athletes. The trick is to figure out how to use that.
Jeff Leiker Lawrence senior
.