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Wednesday, April 24, 1991 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Kennedy scandal
Decision whether to reveal names to the public should be made by rape victims, not the media
A woman who says she was raped has to decide whether to report the crime or even publicly speak out about it.
But for a 29-year-old Palm Beach, Fla., woman, the choice of whether to go public was made for her.
Thanks to several news organizations last week, the woman now will know the price of being subjected to public scrutiny.
Because of the unfortunate stigmas society has about rape, the woman's humiliation could intensify by being identified in the media.
Rape victims' names should not be reported unless they approve, no matter what the circumstances are.
The woman has accused William Kennedy Smith, a nephew of Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., of raping her at a Palm Beach villa March 30.
A Boca Raton-based supermarket tabloid, the Globe, published her name and a photo, after which NBC News broadcast her name. The next day her name was published in The New York Times and other newspapers. In most cases, the journalistic practice is to
withhold the identities of rape victims.
The celebrity status of the Kennedy family should not have been a reason to reveal this woman's identity.
A victim is a victim and deserves to have the choice of whether she wants to remain anonymous.
While withholding rape victims' names could imply unwarranted shame on the victim's part, revealing names without consent is not the way to diminish society's stigmas.
Already, nine out of 10 raps go unreported, and according to a poll taken last week by the Boston Globe, about half of the women questioned said they would be less likely to report a rape if they thought their names would end up in print.
It is unfortunate that news organizations have chosen to exploit the Palm Beach woman because she accused a Kennedy clan member of rape. The serious nature of her accusation has been lost in the sensationalism of yet another Kennedy scandal.
Amy Zamierowski for the editorial board
GALA Week
Awareness may bring acceptance of homosexuals
The gay pride movement developed in the 1960s at the same time as the emergence of alternative curriculum at many U.S. universities and progressive thinking elsewhere.
What the '60s offered the gay and lesbian movement was a foundation, a hope.
But fears about the AIDS epidemic — many unfounded — seem to have killed any progress leading to the understanding of gay and lesbian lifestyles.
Last week, Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week kicked off another attempt by the gay and lesbian community to bring understanding to those who need it.
meaning to those who most need it.
But the gay and lesbian community
Students recently received threateneng phone calls after their photographs appeared in the Kansan. The students simply carried signs announcing the military's policy discriminating against gays and lesbians. Clearly, ignorance toward gays and lesbians remains strong here. GALA Week was a challenge to the KU community to learn about and accept its gays and lesbians. The steps for making changes outside the homosexual community now must come from outside the circle.
cannot force people to accept it.
A full-time commitment to do so will eliminate the need for the week.
Rich Cornell and Tiffany Harness for the editorial board
Boots and Coots
Black South Africans deserve the same attention as Kurds
The situation with Kurds in Iraq is a topic whirlwinding many emotions in political, religious and economic circles these days.
Ardra
Tippett
Staff columnist
Some people strongly believe that our government should intercede and eliminate the Kurds' present situation by force, if necessary. Some believe the United States should send aid to the Kurds, and others believe that the plight of the Kurds is simply an intolerable, inhumane situation, socially as well as politically, that just should not exist in the world on the edge of the 21st century.
My heart and prayers go out to the Kurds. What is happening to them is terrible, and should not happen anywhere to anyone.
However, I cannot help but ask: What about my people? Has the U.S. forgotten what the system of apartheid is? It is not a new concept by any means; it has been flourishing ipso facto since 1654, legally since 1958. It is a legal system where people are separated, discriminated against and oppressed because of the color of their skin.
It is not that simple. The undesired skin pigmentation is, of course, brown. These brownskinned human beings, often referred to as Black Africans are beaten, killed, impoverished, ill-educated, under-paid, if employed at all, and not allowed to vote.
population. Apartheid allows everything that is happening to the Kurds to happen to Black Africans on a daily basis, and it has been allowed to continue for centuries.
Black South Africans are not considered human by the ruling body of the country, and they are much more than the majority of the
The overwhelming support for the kurds, the actions recently taken by the U.S. government and the consistent, outright disregard of the situation in South Africa and its degrading, inhumane regime of apartheid is unquestionably one of the boldest actions of racism I have ever seen. I feel nauseated every time I think about America and each time I listen to the world news and to our presidents and politicians talk about foreign affairs. "A kinder and nationally." For whom?
Every day I witness more and more disrespect and disregard for my people, race and our situation throughout the world. If indeed actions speak louder than words, the United States has certainly shown its ugly disposition of inherent racism. And no one says a word.
Anyone that says this has nothing to do with him or her is either stupid, blind or evil and does not deserve to live. To those of you who are not members of the race that rules this nation and believe in your hearts that this all has nothing to do with you, you are disgusting
fools, I say to all of you, regardless of whether you accept your position in all of this or not, if you are not consistently doing something to change this government and the conditions under which this society exists, then you are a direct perpetuator of this injustice, yourself.
My intentions are not to insult the Kurds or their plight at all. I have seen their relatives in the United States on television, crying all week on every station.
But I also have seen my grandmother cry, and my brothers and sisters all over the world tremble and shake. I have seen people rallying in large numbers in support of the Kurds. I have seen the U.S. government take immediate action in Iraq.
On the other hand, I have seen nothing beyond insufficient steps of trivial tokenism and blatant disregard for Blacks around the world. With some pressure, troops and complete sanctions, the United States could bring an end to apartheid in South Africa by the end of the week.
Am I implying that we should not help the Kurds or that we should ignore them? By no means. What I am saying is, be consistent with your help, words, military support, finances and full sanctions, or else admit your hypocrisy and your true feelings.
Ardra Tippett is a St. Louis senior majoring in African studies
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Donated organs crucial
On Oct. 29, 1989, I received the gift of life from a family that cared enough to donate their deceased family member's organs. My mother and I both suffered from End Renal Stage Disease and both received kidney transplants. Knowing how important it is to consider donating organs and tissues, and because it is National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week, I would like to challenge each KU student and faculty
member to consider giving the gift of life through organ and tissue donation. More than 100,000 Americans could benefit today if enough organs and tissues were available. One person could save up to 10 lives if he or she donated his or her organs and tissues. The heart and liver both are a matter of life or death to a patient who is in need of a transplant. Donated kidneys could eliminate dialysis treatments for patients and prolong lives. A pancreas that is donated could actually cure a person's diabetes. Donated eyes not only provide corneas for sight-restoring corneal transplants, but also vital eye tissue for other surgical procedures and for research into blinding eye disorders.
As you can see, organ and tissue donation is a very important topic when you are talking about saving thousands of lives. Many myths and
fears about donating organs and tissues do exist, but are deteriorating by education. Don't just sign your driver's license, but inform your family about your decision. I urge each student and faculty member to consider this delicate topic because someone considered it for my family. If you need more information about organ donation and transplantation call 1-800-24-DONOR, and for tissue donation call 1-800-227-7704.
Emma Marie Gray Kansas City, Kan., senior
KU is not South Africa
I wish Ardra Tippett had identified more precisely the "certain segment of this society that does not want to discuss (police brutality)" I infer from the tone of
her column that she means whites at large, and I think it rather irresponsible of her to make this claim in light of a few relevant facts. The video of the beating of Rodney King by white Los Angeles police officers was both taped and presented to the media by a white male. Clips of the video were actually displayed both on national television and in newspapers, two forms of media that I suppose are owned and operated by more whites than Blacks. And any excuse, no matter how far-fetched, by a white person possessing large-scale social influence to exonerate the Los Angeles policemen and explain their actions, has yet to be offered.
In obtaining data on police brutality, Tippet prefers to limit herself to the opinions of one police officer, thus denying herself access to broader and perhaps less-biased
information. I would agree that police brutality perpetrated by whites against Blacks is commonplace in many departments and that it is quite easily and frequently swept under the rug. But to hold the opinion that police brutality perpetrated by Blacks against whites does not occur is unrealistic.
I am unable to grasp why Tippet feels she is in South Africa. Are there large groups of machete-wielding Blacks running about campus, seeking to hack her into bits, which I haven't seen? And I don't understand why Tippet feels she is in a place like Tiananmen Square. Since her letter appeared in the University Daily Kansan, I can only conclude she is not being stifled, although her letter may have been edited by someone. I do feel, though, that Blacks and other
minorities in this nation, and Palestinians in Israel, deserve a fairer set of circumstances than what they, generally speaking, now hold
It seems apparent from the tenor and tone of Tippet's letter that she harbors a good deal of animosity toward whites. It's especially sad to read the veiled threats in her closing paragraphs that if I don't do something to fix her problems, she will feel compelled to affect "change by any means necessary."
Though you would not have it, Miss Tippet, I offer you this advice: When you graduate from this facility of higher learning, apply to the Los Angeles police academy. I'm sure you would make a damn fine officer.
Evan Watson Wellington junior
KANSAN STAFF
CHRIS SIRON Editor
RICH CORNELL Managing editor
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TOM EBLEN
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Loco Locals
SHE SAID SHEWOULD GET
BACK TO ME...WHILONG DOES
THAT TAKE?! CERTAINLY
NOT TWO MONTHS!...
ISN'T THIS THE SORT
OF GUYSPULL?!
by Tom Michaud