mcriday, march 8, 1975
page 4
daily nebraskan
d.n.
Quest Felling world's 'great walls'
opinion I takes respect, understanding
The death of psychology professor David
Levine could not have been more untimely.
At a time when the university faces demanding
questions of educational quality, the loss of an
exceptionally vibrant and devoted faculty leader
is tragic.
Levine's contribution to the university is
immeasurable, both in his leadership of the
Psychology Dept. and in his duties outside of the
classroom.
His support of students, remembered by many
from his classes and from the spring 1970 campus
turmolt, was unequaled.
By W. K. Yeung t . M o
This is in response to "Exploding the China Myth-a
society of hollow men?" by Del Gustafson (Daily Ne
braskan, March 3). -
The article written by Gustafson typifies the feelings
of Americans who do not tmderstand China and generally
are afraid of Communist countries without knowing ex
actly what they are. Despite the opening of the Bamboo
Curtain in recent years, Americans have yet to realize that
the Mainland Chinese choose to live a life style which they
are happy With and which is totally different from that of
America's
China is a one-party country. The government has been
supported by the majority of the people, mainly peasants,
since coming to rule in 1949. The Chinese government,
(TABU'S' S(3(olir
Not content to work only for the betterment
of the university, he gave freely of his time to the
community as well. Levine's support, along with
that of his wife June, associate professor of
English, long will be remembered by many causes
in the Lincoln community.
Levine lived a relatively short life, yet it was an
existance marked by his fairness and exceptional
intelligence in dealing with the university.
While the loss of Professor Levine is irrevocable,
it is his presence that is irreplacable.
Vince Boucher
rarefied MontY Hall would approve
or Budgetary shenanigans
By Dick Piersol
Students probably are tired of the dispute among the
governor, university administrators and state senators
concerning the NU budget-assuming they have paid
attention to it at all.
But let us just think of it in terms of a game. No, a
football game won't do. We had enough of that jargon in
the late, great Nixon administration and besides, there are
three teams playing simultaneously in this game. A con
tinuing daytime television format suits much better, and
the rules can be arbitrary enough to fit any situation.
First, the administrators ask for a $100 million stake.
They only got $77 million last year, but, well, that was
last year.
"Impossible 1" cries the governor, custodian of the
public bankroll, and adds that he is not really even a
contestant.
"Next to impossible," say the state senators, who have
to play for the audience at home and the administrators.
The three camps huddle for a time, plotting strategy.
"$84.5 million, and 111 freeze,'"" says the governor.
The senators offer $87.9 million, a nice compromise,
and fall back to test the applause meter.
Wait a minute, a maverick senator or two is backstage
plotting with the administrators, and here it is, a new bid
of $94.5 million. The audience ooha and ahhs.
"Foul!" howls the governor, "and vote trading, too."
The governor has the home team advantage and every
body listens. The senators vigorously deny the charge,
although one could tune in on other shows and witness if
first-hand. The game would be reduced to utter chaos if
the senator couldn't trade votes occasionally. It might
even be replaced by Flying Nun reruns.
But lurking within is yet another new ground rule.
, The students, off in 1 corner and absorbed in a less real
game, discover that they're going to be paying not only
$2 a credit hour more, to which the prinicpal contestants
had tacitly agreed, but yet another $2 a credit hour.
This awakens them somewhat Tb ninr f. ins-..
who introduced the new rule at the administrators'
request, says he's not really in favor of it and will ask the
NU Board of Regents not to use it no matter how the
budget turns out. He says it's really just a device to get
the students in the game.
"Hey, kids, tell Mom the next time she's on the phone
to tell her senator to support us. Otherwise it's gonna
cost ya.
The senator reconsiders-he says he's thinking of
abandoning that particular ship. That's a penalty for
equivocation, senator, and it isn't a ship, it's an amend
ment. You want Treasure Hunt, go call Geoff Edwards
he's on another network.
.it ATcd?ntS' tcleth0n t0 f?om and dad on "e univer
sity WATS lines goes on, with the administrators urging
them to play the game, too. 6 8
Which brings us to the coming week's episode. No one
knows for sure when, but soon ail 49 senators get a crack
at the budget. There are spies and poltroons among them
who wlU brazenly try to carve the vitals out of 'Wity
for the University of Nebraska at Omaha," and brfcands
who will deny that the "quality of undemaE
education at UNL is declining. undergraduate
The Chief highwayman may be Sen. Richard Marvel
of Hastings, who is not only 1 willing participant, but also
a professor of the game he smilingly calls "democracv"
at a local private institution. Students there do not
depend so much on the game for their education
Unfoitunately, we at NU do depend upon the game
since then, has not cnangea ana suu nues ior trie benefit
of its people.
The policy of the government is that everything that
involves the livelihood of its people must have something
to do with its political line of thinking. Thus, it is not sur
prising that art, too, works for the people and helps to
spread the political theory to them. That is the only
reason ballet, paintings, wood cuts, songs, fiction, etc.,
are so deeply involved with political theory, governmental
policies, and peasant life.
This approach is clearly different from that of
America's, which advocates diversity. However, to cail the
Chinese society one of "hollow men" is certainly a most
uneducated remark that shows the ignorance of the
author. This is the life that the Chinese people chose to
live: they, have a different view of freedom than does
America. They feel art should be a political tool to edu
cate themselves on the route to socialism. The Chinese are
very rich in revolutionized art just as America is very rich
in its own. Resentment toward living and thinking styles
different from one's own means no respect for the "free
dom" of other people.
China, became a myth (maybe it still is) in the SOs and
early 60s simply because there were so many McCarthys
and Del Gustafsons who are blindly hostile to things dif
ferent from what they are used to. Progressive Americans,
such as some journalists and politicians and actress
Shirley McLaine gave reasonable reports on China after
their visits, because they saw, with an open mind, what
the Chinese government is trying to do for its people and
is doing so well.' They see huge cultural gaps between the
United States and China and advocate improved relation
ships and mutual understanding. America needs more
Shirley McLaines to make itself a better country, one that
has respect for other countries and tries to bridge the in
difference of policies between governments.
Referring to the corpses in Gustafson's article floating
down the Yangtze River, those are the people who are dis
illusioned with trie "Good Life of Freedom" in Hong
Kong, grow a strong dissatisfaction with the puritanic
ideals of their government, try to escape the Mainland via
the river and drown in the process.
As fair' as I know, the Chinese government has not
"mass murdered. . .a few thousand ancestor worshippers,
black marketeers, and various other social misfits." Its
efforts toward such people are re-education, not extinc
tion, as Gustafson reported so ignorantly.
I guess the anti-Chinese feeling in Gustafson's article is
at least partially spurred by Nixon's visit to China. The
Chinese invited and treated with high honors, a former
American President, who currently is downgraded by the
American public. Seemingly, China places no concern for
the reaction of the American government.
America is, of course, not used to being left out. Its
pride definitely is hurt because the U.S. government is
used to having a hand in almost anything that happens
in world politics.
The conservative American public has grown increas
ingly bitter, and it Is not sure exactly how to react. There
are people in the country calling Nixon a communist, or
telling him to immigrate to China and never come back.
Such ignorance and naivete only tells us that Americans
have a long way to go in understanding the other
countries ot tnis world.
.
W.K. Yeung is a graduate student in Chemistry.
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