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daily nebraskan
nation reveals true side or c
' m 0 '
F1SIG
ynic
Bruce Nelson resigned today.
Calling his Daily Nebraskan column "a futile
weekly exercise in polemics," Bruce tendered his
resignation with the lighthearted explanation,
"The true cynic should just retiret back, and be
amused by the circus around him." Then he be
came serious about why he was quitting.
"If I'm sincere," he said, "if I give a subject a
lot of research and thought and approach it
straight, either no one reads it or they're bored
stiff by it. If I put the same subject with arrogance
and egotism and insults, it gets a great reaction.
"But in neither case does anyone really think
about the subject. One way puts people to sleep;
the other polarizes them." .
Those words say something about The Real
Bruce Nelson, but in case the message isn't clear
enough, we'll elaborate. The now-former author
of "Cynic's Corner" is a close friend, so we know
he won't mind if we expose him for what he is:
The man who has for more than sl semester pre
sented himself to Daily Nebraskan readers as
callous, pessimistic and hardhearted, actually is
Dear editor,
During the last football game, I was given the opportun
ity to see the game from a very interesting, viewpoint:
the press box. I was given a pass that admitted me to that
mysterious building on top of the west stadium.
But during a pause in the 4S-0 tromp, I looked at my
pass and noted this inscription: "No Women Or Children
Permitted In Working Press Area'.
Now, really! Why complain about discrimination in
other sectors of our community when there is an even more
blatant form of discrimination practiced by our own
Athletic dept.? Who are they trying to kid?
Sure, there shouldn't be little kids running around
distrubing people busy at work in any situation, but
why not allow women sportswriters in the press area?
Maybe it's about time we bite the hand that feeds us and
look a little closer at the practices and policies of our own
Athletic Dept. ' .
Joe Eisenberg
Edotor'a note: Women reporters are allowed in the press
box. Our sports editor, Larry Stunkel, says he understands
the message on the passes is intended to keep sportswriters
families out of the press area.
But we agree, the message as written is sexist, and reveals
the Athletic Dept.'s narrowmindedness toward women as
sports reporters (the view is shared, unfortunately, by many
professional newspaper editors).
Circulation commended
Dear editor, ,
I would like to thank the person or persons delivering
the Daily Nebraskan on campus. It used to be that Bancroft
Hall was lucky to get the paper a day late. This year, I
can get the current edition every morning. Thanks again.
Andy Mattson
Editor's note: Credit goes to circulation staffer Brian
Franzen, whose delivery route includes Bancroft.
a confirmed idealist and a bit . of a romantic.
He is deeply concerned about the social
problems he addressed in many of his columns.
He thoroughly researched every topic he wrote
about, whether his approach to.it was to be
serious or outrageous.
He wanted to create change with his columns, to
get under readers' skins so deeply they would act
instead of just react, to make people think instead
of vegetate.
He believes he failed.
We're not so sure he did, though we often share
his frustration.
Sign of the times: Remember Rick and the
Rockets, those remnants of the revolution? They
gave a revival concert at Centennial College
Tuesday night, and we hear the event got off to
a slow start. It seems some of the band members
are now in law school, and were delayed by late
running activities there. .
. Double take?: The Chicago Daily News reports
that virgins are decreasing in number on American
campuses, according to what the Daily NewSs
called "(a)nother of the ongoing random samplings
by Playboy Magazine."
Rebecca Brite
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Long hard climb
using trapped in desegregation game
By Marsha J ark
You e got to be taught before it "s too late
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the people your relatives hate
Youe got to be carefully taught.
Oscar Hammcrstefai II!
The following is a dialogue about busing between
Tweedledum, an idealistic student in Teachers College, and
Tweedledee, a high school .sophomore in a 97 per cent
white high school, ,
Dum: I've been reading about the busing troubles in Louis
ville and Boston. A ku of kids have been boycotting
classes because they don't want to be bused.
Dee: Yeah.- Busing isn't a very good way to achieve racial
balance if kids have to ride all over the city.
Dum: I agree that busing is a dumb idea, but don't you
think it's necessary? It's been 21 years since "separate;
but epr,&T schools were declared unconstitutional,
yet segregation hasn't been ended. "Separate but equal"
equals inequality.
Dee: I don't see why kids have to suffer for it, I dont
want to have to go to a crummy school that's far away,
just so each school will have at least 46 and two thirds
per cent white kids. y
Dum: I agree. In the game of desegregation, kids are
pawns. It's another kind of discrimination when they
say, "You're a black kid? You're deprived so we're going
to send you to a nice, new thcool. You'll just about
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fill pur quota for black students." They are treated like Sometimes, the inability to communicate in the "right"
niimfnr. Fnt!sh Minn a iki nntu tMi Uu Wfnk minOfitV
Dm: If vmi acree with me. how can vou still he far hnslno?
Dum: Look, how many black students go to Block High
now?
Dee: About 20 or 30, I guess. At the most, 30.
Dum: Block has about 1 ,600 students. So those 30 students
constitute less than 5 per cent of the student body. How
are students going to get to know other people, unless
they see each other in everyday situations like school or
work? You can't reach bicultural understandings by
staring at each other from opposite basketball stands.
Dee: Yeah, but the black students at Block stick together.
They go to different classes, but they all sit together in
the cafeteria, They go home to the same neighborhoods.
Ana mat s anorner wing, ii you re oused somewhere,
joule tunes, ino Miaoiuiy iu tu.Tunumtaie m mv -English
dialect is the only thing that keeps minority
persons down. Because they speak differently, they
are misunderstood. Because they are rnisundersioou,.
they are often discriminated against.
Dee: I guess there are some things you don't learn in books.
But they should start earlier with grade school kids. I d
, be like a "new kid" if I got bused to a different school.
I'd leave behind most of the friends I had in grade
school and junior high.
Dum: Chances are you'd still know a good number of the
kids in your new school. Besides, the school districts
are making special efforts to start worthwhile programs
in the older, downtown schools. Some kids at Block are
DUSinz out half Hav fln thsv ran v. curb in the TV and
.Ul. 1 I . . ' . . .
Ana uhk i anomer mmg. u you re ousea somewhere, pwiograpny departments downtown,
you can't stay after school for clubs and sports unless Dee: I wouldn't mind going half days but I always planned
your parents come set you and then vou arrive hom to en in Mental a nu.l kl,u A!. ...i im .ni unnt it to
late.
Dum: De facto segregation.
Dee: Whsi
Dum: That's where segregation takes place although it isn't
.required or encouraged by laws. In your town most of
the minority groups live, in the older part of town while
a lot of white people have moved to the suburbs.
There are other barriers besides home location between
races. There is also a cultural difference between blacks
and whites. That also means a language barrier.
- - i mum Ruing ' ways wi r
tO CO to Mental A RUrU IM (till unnt it tO
be my school. I'd still want to go to the football games
and stuff.
Dum: That's okay. You could stiU identify with Block, just
as the black kids at Block can stick together if they
want. Nobody claims racial harmony will ccme out of
busing, but I don't know how you cm avoid greater
understanding. That's almost enough to make it worth
while, isn't it?
Dee: I guess it's worth a try-but III just livts to wait and
