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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1974)
V V" T1 'Mr ,- r- -Hri 4H m . 1 - nr -S "" nl' W j P 1 ' Apathy blamed on g ood bad dichotomy By John H. F ischer Jr. I would like to comment on P.M. Keller's letter concerning the anti-intellectual atmosphere at UNI. (Daily Nebraskan, April 10). Keller comments, "Sometimes I wonder if UNL kids read, discuss and tkirtSr " If t'n'm ie triio strni I tiiuik it i8 then iiMi ha a serious problem on its hands. The question of apathy in attitudes and education is a fact that I, too, have observed with some alarm. Perhaps the best way to view this problem is from the standpoint of an analogy. Draw whatever conclusions you may. The science of physics as we know it today is a very precise science of universal laws, such as motion, and method of investigation. This preciseness, however, has not always been the case in the past. Physics began as a science based on the dichotomy relationship opposites. This method of looking at things from only two standpoints, good and bad, positive and negative, black and white, is commonly referred to as the Aristotelian approach. In addition to the dichotomy relationship, there is the concept of classification or categorization. This concept requires that all objects be arranged in classes or groups depending upon certain characteristics or traits of an object. Classification and the dichotomy relationship then make it very easy for a scientist to judge certain things about an object under his or her scrutiny. Most Americans today use the Aristotelian approach in their daily encounters with life's problems. As examples to this fact are the blackwhite racial strifes, criminalslaw abiders, professionalsamateurs, freaksstraights, and teacherstudents. Most of us use the dichotomy relationship when we judge another person, thereby placing that person in a class. The science of physics would have become quite static though had it continued using the dichotomy relationship for its observations. After a while all the observable phenomena in nature would have been grouped or classed and that would be the end of it. For physics to continue as a science, a change tn attitude or perspective was needed and this is exactly what happened. This period of attitude change in physics is known as the post-Galilean period. The change which,. occurred was from the dichotomy relationship to the rating of phenomena on a graduated scale when compared to an ideal model of the phenomena being observed. The science of human behavior should hope to do so we!L But what of the apathy in attitudes and education at UNL? Unfortunately, the principles of education" at UNL operate on the dichotomy relationship. You are good if you go to classes, bad if you don't. You are good if your sexual expression is repressed, bad if it kn't. You are good if you pass your tests, bad if you don't. You are good if you don't drink beer in your residence hall room, bad if you do. You are good if you accept the regent's policies without question, bad if you reject them. And so on and so on. UNL then adds up ail your goods and labels you a success by giving you a piece of paper. If your bads outweigh your goods you don't get that piece of paper. Whether you have learned anything while at UNL is beside the point. UNL tries to turn out successes and not failures (note the dichotomy relationship.) n 11 I l IM The problem of apathy arises from the one outstanding principle of psychology that every individual is unique. UNL does not cater to uniqueness but rather to the patriarchial models of success. The attitudes and needs of students at UNL have changed but the rules and regulations of the University have not changed to match. Perhaps it would be well here to examine the phenomenon of the social pendulum. A strict society is known as a patrist society. Some of the characteristics of a patrist society are fear of homosexuality, fear, of scientific research, lack of spontaneity, pleasure is undesirable, clothing differences between the sexes are maximized, and those individuals who don't agree with these things are forced into compliance. - A permissive society is known as a matrist society. Some of the tears of a matrist society are fear of incest, encouragement of scientific research spontaneity, pleasure is desirable, clothing differences are minimized byv the unisex look and those individuals who do not agree with these things are not forced to comply. Here at UNL we have the same problem of the matristpatrist dichotomy. The students coming to UNL are basically progressive, eager, vibrant individuals which are characteristic of a matrist viewpoint. Then they run smack dab head on into the patrist views of the University. How any students can come out of such an encounter without feeling stifled escapes my comprehension. Patrist viewpoints are hard to change, as well. People who adhere to patrist ideas are incredibly afraid of losing their power over others. The patrist sense of power is silly, stupid, ignorant and just plain bad when dealing with progress. The patrist uses coercive power force to get things done. When people with ideas and progressive attitudes run into force, they are stopped because, as' a genera! rule, they cannot use consensual power against coercive power. Consensual power implies cooperation, compromise, and openmindedness; all things absent in the UNL education atmosphere of coercion. You can't fight coercive power with consensual power. !f you do try, you soon' become apathetic and despondent. Therein lies the source of apathy at UNL. We have students raised in a society which is becoming consensual but the University is still coercive. Another dichotomy relationship. Therefore, the administration at UNL needs a change of attitudes and ideas which are more in line with those of the students (if we are agreed that progress is desirable). Nothing terrible is going to happen if the regents give in to reasonable demands of both faculty and students. In fact, the terrible things which the regents are afraid of just will not occur as a rule. For example, let's use sex and drinking in residence halls for another analogy. All through history, whenever sex or drinking has been repressed in a society, they surface in a perverted form. Look at the speakeasies during prohibition. Look at tha rape and murder and carnage of the so-called Christian Crusades. But when repression has been nonexistent, everything surfaces in a healthy normal form. Those periods of history when repressions has been the least are the same periods when crime and perversion have been the least. SoJthe policy of cracking down on drugs, sex, drinking or whatever is noV-'only erroneous, it points out the sheer ignorance of those leaders and administrators who practice it mm V-9 W W W w -mm- w m mm v mm 1 &m$tQVUT PIZZAS I VtSCOVH at Full length movies starring Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart, Flash Gordon, ''eter Sellers, Marlon Brando, etc.--All Bfggles Also save $1.00 on a Giant Size Hza during movies hours: 8-10 p.m. Sunday - 1 nursuay. A "1 h m TlMCVlds OF w6od; Jpt4d WITH SOFT KID LEATHER ONLY V...... IMTH1VIEWS SATURDAY Ann! 271 !i AT- 6i32?ni ykfi: im m the nmnimMi V 0 0 BEFORE K I m- .' f . 7 1- ,1 V xf v V 425 AT IK PORTE P PftOfA SPAIK A R r 0 BACKSTAGE LTD 1 2th & Q REALLY-T HE Q&X PLACE. TO BKiH FASHION SHOE.S' I ! V i SALE Gateway Shopping Center Most Credit Cards Honored Men's FADED BLUE DENIMS Genuine Leather Upper that looks just like faded biue donim. Crepe wedge sole. 7.90 reg. 25.00 I a!so availabe in i Cr-.i:t,.Tva , Desert Boot - Stvle - 18.0! Style - 10.00 BOSTON I AN STETSON PIERRE CARDIN FRYE LONDON CHARACTER IMPORTS thunday, epril 18, 1974 cteiiy ntbraskan page 5 Qt- -ft A A. .A. . A - 4- ! A , .ynu Jf. -ft- 1