Wednesday, March 2, 1983
Daily Nebrask3n
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EditorialJ
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Last weekend I finally managed to see "Gandhi,"
one of the more interesting films of the year. I would
have liked to have simply relaxed and watched the film,
but my mind was filled with the shadows of the past and
the present.
The shadows reminded me that there is an unpleasant
side to the story of a man like Mohandas Karamchand
Gandhi, who was lifted to power by people crying for
strong leadership and deliverance.
For those cries are not always answered by a man
with the humanitarian vision that Gandhi had. Adolf
Hitler answered the same cries when they rose in a
different country.
Like Gandhi, Hitler first proved his ability to sway
the masses in smaller situations before moving on to
national renown. Gandhi began by fighting for the rights
of Indians in South Africa, a corner of the British Em
pire. Hitler began in the beer halls of Bavaria, rousing
the nationalists to fury. Both men gained much support
with the force of their personalities.
Both men were extremely skillful at utilizing both
political and non-political methods. Hitler took advan
tage of the political and economic chaos of his country
and used it along with the threat of violence to work his
way into the government.
Gandhi skillfully managed to appeal to many shades
in the political spectrum. He combined his manipulations,
of the political structure with more unusual methods
like fasting and civil disobedience. Hitler became Chancel
lor of Germany in 1933, and Gandhi reached the peak of
his power in 1931 .
Both men took on god-like status in their countries
because of their promises to end the problems of their
people. Hitler promised an end to the Depression, and
everyone believed him. Gandhi promised Muslim-Hindu
unity in an independent India, and everyone believed
him, too. Both met with some measure of success, again,
Both men flew on wings of rhetoric, on speeches
about national pride and human dignity. One then used
this to impress a reign of terror on his country and eventu
ally on the world. The other man had a very different
goal in mind, but his methods were similar.
The independent India that Gandhi worked for is a
country in turmoil, turmoil exemplified by the massacres
that took place last week prior to the Indian elections.
Hindu tribesmen asked for a boycott of the elections
to protest the fact that Bengali refugees in India are
being allowed to vote.
More than 1,100 Moslem villagers were slaughtered
for defying the boycott when the villages were stormed
by citizens of the northeastern Indian state of Assam,
aimed with machetes, hatchets and guns. The democracy
that Gandhi hoped for continues to struggle for exist
ence, at a very high price.
These facts are not meant to knock Gandhi off his
pedestal, or to paint an entirely pessimistic picture of
the work that he and other world leaders have tried to
do. They are meant 'to penetrate the mythology that
films like "Gandhi"' perpetuate, and to clarify our view
of history.
In order to maintain that clarity of vision, it is neces
sary for people to be educated, to be able to discern the
reality underneath the words.
It is easy to watch films like "Gandhi" and get caught
up in the story of the great man. Unfortunately, the
Germans believed they were getting caught up in a similar
story.
"The only devils running around are in our hearts,
and that is where our battles ought to be fought," Gandhi
says in the film, and he is right.
It is in our hearts that we should deeply consider the
world around us.
It is important to have leaders with the vision of
Gandhi rather than the distortion ot Hitler, but what
is more important is that we have the wisdom to know
the difference.
David Thompson
Mot just another tourist trap,
Lincoln entices 'Berts' again
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The welcome arrival of spring-like wea
ther reminds us that before too long, sum
mer will be here and vacation season will
get into full' gear. This year, the Lincoln
Chamber of Commerce is going all out to
promote the capital city.
Last summer was a bad one for Lincoln
tourism. An official chamber study indicat
ed that the city had only six tourists all
season long (all who were named Bert, the
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survey further indicated). However, this
year, the chamber vows to capitalize on the
plethora of everyday events that Lincoln
ites take for granted, yet could hold a spe
cial allure for out-of-towners.
A pamphlet, entitled "Spend a Week in
Lincoln One Day" describes, in glowing de
tail, the veritable plethora of sights avail
able to the typical tourist visiting Nebras
ka's capital city.
1. The most appropriate spot to start
your Lincoln sightseeing day is at the beau
tiful Founding Block Landmark. "The
scenic wonder at 10th and Q streets has
been a first stop for tourists since the '60s.
Not only can you marvel at its concrete
splendor (bring plenty of film) but you can
park there as well."
2. Folsom Children's Zoo. "The animal
menagerie that Johnny Cash made famous
in story and song. Added attraction for
1983: another animal for our beautiful
Mammal Kingdom display : Perry the pup
py. He joins Clarence the kitty cat,Donny
the Dachshund and Slappy Greenbaum,the
happy human, in this, the zoo's largest and
fastest-growing display."
3. Lincoln Transportation Service
Wound, Kill and Maim Competition. (Daily
event.) "Mom and dad will be thrilled, and
the kids will be too, as they watch those
lovable Lincoln bus drivers playfully nudge
pedestrians, bump bicyclists and of course,
sideswipe passing motorists. Rush hour is
special matinee time, featuring that all-time
favorite, Blindfolded Traffic Maneuvers.
All this for just 60 cents."
4. Plan a Downtown Redevelopment
Project. "A favorite activity of Lincoln na
tives. The whole family can play.. It only
takes a few minutes and, who knows, you
might devise the scheme that saves our
city's downtown. Gives the kids valuable
insights into city planning. Try it. Please."
5. The Beautiful Lincoln Marina.
"Spend the afternoon watching the grand
sailing ships from ports of call as diverse as
East Lincoln and North Lincoln." A relat
ed activity is exciting Lincoln International
Airport, "where you and your family can
watch those giant twin engine Cessnas rum
ble in for a landing every two hours or so.
An excellent chance for the kids to hear
firsthand what language they speak in
North Platte."
6. Mel Main's Blooper Hunt. A "10-11
Strong" presentation. "Veteran broadcas
ter Mains, actually a native of Bristol, Eng
land, pretends to flub names, places and ac
tions for your enjoyment. If you're lucky,
you might catch Mel on a day when Mar-''
tina Navrataloba visits Sadegh Ghotzba
deh's grave near Azerbajan. As if this
weren't fun enough, you and your family
can then try to figure out exactly what
"10-1 1 Strong" is supposed to mean."
7. Game Room Hopping. "The Riviera
has its casinos, Los Angeles has its Sunset
Strip and Omaha its restaurant row, but
Lincoln's pride and joy is its Game Room
Alley. Video games galore abound in the
capital city, with more than 10 game gal
leries in the downtown area alone. And, if
you're hungry, remember most galleries
feature scrumptious submarine sandwiches.
As they say in game room vernacular, 'Go
for it.' "
Here's hoping the Lincoln Chamber of
Commerce can make 1983 Lincoln's most
successful tourist season yet. However, it
won't be easy. Two men named Bert just
cancelled their hotel reservations.
Spectroscopy article interesting
I would like to applaud the Daily
Nebraskan and reporter Lori Sullivan for
the article on spectroscopy (Daily Ne
braskan, Feb. 24). The topic was interest
ing and the reporter made a complex
story understandable.
This coverage is, 1 hope, indicative of
a trend in campus journalism. First, a very
large percentage of UNL's students and
faculty are involved in technical research
which would make equally interesting and
informative reading.
Second, such coverage would be very
newsworthy and appropriate to a campus
newspaper. After all, why should the
campus press, which is on the scene of
significant research in fields like chemis
try, biology, engineering and agricultural
engineering, be scooped by the local and
national press?
And "third, our society is becoming
increasingly technical and will require
specialists to report developments in these
rapidly expanding fields. The campus
press seems an ideal vehicle for potential
reporters to gain experience and a port
folio in this field - thereby beating out
hundreds of hopeful reporters who have
only liberal arts and entertainment back
grounds when it comes to finding a job.
Again, my congratulations to Lori
Sullivan and the news editor who had the
judgment to assign such an article.
Tamara Russell
graduate student, journalism
Services should expand , not move
We are displeased with Sid Pinney's
comments concerning the Women's Re
source Center in "Board elects officers,
addresses issue proposals" (Daily Ne
braskan, Feb. 24). His suggestion to
move the WRC to the second floor of
the Nebraska Union (a much less visible
location) and move Student Legal Ser
vices in its place is puzzling to say the
least. We think the survey among sorori
ties is a highly inadequate means to deter
mine the need of the WRC. Should data
have been collected from a more viable
means, research would have revealed
the WRC serves many more students daily
than does Student Legal Services - all
the more reason for keeping and hopefully
expanding the WRC at its present site.
Nicola Ayres
graduate, life sciences
Julia Palmer
graduate, geology
Terry Prebensen
graduate, English
'Week on Wagon' comrriendabl
I applaud Alpha Tau Omega's effort to
recognize the excessive use and abuse of
alcohol on campus with their "Week on the
Wagon." However, the week begins in the
middle of a weekend and ends in the mid
dle of the next. This arrangement allows
fraternity and sorority participants to im
bibe on one night each weekend. A better
test or sacrifice would be to have the Wa
gon Week to begin on a Wednesday. This
would demonstrate a better effort on the
part of participants by foregoing an entire
weekend, which I believe to be the period
of most alcohol consumption.
Shelley Feters
sophomore, chemical engineering