4
Tuesday, April 26, 1983
Daily Nebroskan
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A friend of mine got his car pierced re
cently. Big deal. Another friend had gotten
his pierced a few months earlier. My art
teacher has his pierced. My brother used
to, until an accident forced him to grow it
closed again.
Anyway, back to my original friend. It's
amazing how that little gold stud grew to
enrage me and help me realize why we
humans have to much trouble getting along
sometimes.
You see, my friend works with a
campus organization through which he
comes in contact with entering freshmen
and other students in helping them feel
more comfortable as they begin college.
He's perfectly qualified for the position,
with or without the earring.
Those who hired him, however, took a
different view when they "asked" him to
take it out. Suddenly he wasn't quite so
qualified to work with these students who
might be "frightened" or too intimidated
or uncomfortable around someone with an
earring to approach him with their
questions.
That's ridiculous - and insulting. That's
like saying if he had gotten the earring the
day he applied for the job. he wouldn't
have been hired.
But he's the same person. The addition
of a gold stud in his left ear shouldn't
warrant his being treated any differently.
The protests of his superiors is further
insulting to those they feel will be adverse
ly affected by the dreaded earring - those
"naive, sheltered Western Nebraska kids"
who've probably never seen a man with an
earring before.
Let's give these "kids" a little credit. In
the first place, they've probably been ex
posed to more supposed "oddities" than
our ancient stereotypes will allow us to
believe.
And secondly, if meeting my friend
with his earring is a new experience for
these folks - great. Isn't that what learning
is all about - exposure to different ways of
thinking and living, which hopefully leads
to an understanding and acceptance of
these different styles and opinions?
You see, this really isn't just a story
about a man and his earring. It's about how
damaging and potentially destructive our
narrow-mindedness can be.
This little "earring controversy" at UNL
is only one minor example of the
mammoth problems caused by our
tendencies to judge before we know, to
form an opinion based solely on appear
ances, an opinion which most often has no
chance of being changed because we pursue
no opportunity to do so. Such narrow
mindedness breeds this prejudice, and pre
judice breeds ignorance.
Ignorance, in turn, breeds a world in
which we judge our fellow humans by their
haircuts, their hair color, their skin color,
their size, their wardrobe . . . and on and
on and on.
Admittedly, it is inherent in human
nature that we attain some inljrmation
from appearances, whether they're appear
ances we can or cannot change. The way
we groom ourselves speaks in part for our
attitudes and personality traits.
But when our inquiries and discoveries
about each other stop there and progress
no further, when our focus narrows to the
point where we no longer seek any addit
ional insight into something that appears a
little different, it's a shame and a waste
and, often, a missed opportunity for a
greater dose of understanding.
As long as narrow-mindedness continues
to fester, we'll continue to inhabit a world
in which my friend will be called a fag be
cause he has an earring, others will be
called slobs because they don't wear shoes
or tuck in their shirts, others will be called
radical because their hair sticks up and
others will be called inferior because they
were born a different color.
And we'll continue to fight each other
because such judgments will not allow us
to accept each other as different and
unique human beings.
Patty Pryor
'CoinnnnmaiiiniDOiLoe'ltells 54 lite it is inn Dowa
All this semester, we've been entertained by Bob
Glissmann's insightful columns about Australia, or what
Bob wittily refers to as "The Down Under." While I know
Bob's column is useful and informative, I'm afraid it
gives the incorrect impression that Bob is the only one on
the Daily Ncbraskan staff that goes everywhere interest
ing. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of the
staff members have done time in ports of call as diverse
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Mike
Frost
as Leavenworth, Kan., Folsom, Calif., and Huntsville,
Ala. Even have been to several interesting locales this
semester.
So, then, in the spirit of Bob Glissmann's "Letter
From Down Under," welcome to the first installment
of "Communique from Over Here."
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Boy, it sure is neat here. Yes
terday, I arrived in Iowa City International Airport.
Unfortunately, much to my dismay, they gave- me a
window seat. I got sick. Freak me out.
Anyway, I should tell you what happened today.
After I got all settled, we decided to cruise on down to
the local Burger King. I thought, neat, they have Burger
Kings here just like Lincoln.
So, I strode up to the counter and asked for'a cup of
coffee. (Actually, I said java first, but they didn't under
stand me. I have to remember I'm not at home anymore.)
Anyway, the attendant said "Yes sir, that will be a dime
please." I thought to myself, neat! In Lincoln, they would
have said, "Ten cents please," but here in Iowa City they
ask for a dime. Different cultures sure are groovy.
Actually, they have all kinds of different words here.
I always figured they'd talk the same as they do in Lin
coln, but I guess I was wrong. Tliat's what makes the
English language so keen.
Fpr example, instead of saying pop they say soda.
Instead of saying bandage they said Band-aid. Instead of
saying "Go Big Red," they say "Go Hawks." Also, they
pronounce words real weird here. For example, they
say "corn" so it rhymes with "barn," rather than "born."
Isn't that far out?
Well, I've got to be going. It's time for what they call
supper over here. We always called it dinner at my house.
Oh well, guess I'll just learn to adjust.
I'll write again soon,
Mike Frost
P.S. 1 couldn't help but notice that this first "Com
munique from Over Here" is also my last column of the
year.
Quickly, I'd like to thank all the people who hive
given encouragement, iJcas and patience over the past
year. So to Shelley, M5, Mike, Eric, Glenn, Mary Louise,
Patty, Joni, Diane, Katie, Joseph, Tom, Marty, Bill,
Tish, Teri, Chuck, Chuck and Ben, thanks.
Also, to the fine staff at Harper 'Schramm-Smith Food
Service, where I rcalJy did wear a hair net, contrary to
popular belief: Shirley, Nancy, Grace, ARC, Mike, Kal,
Brian, Chris, Lori, Chuck, Darla, Karen, Glen, Jean,
Rich, Jerrol, Ann, Mary and Anna.
Finally, to the DN people who I finally got to know
a little better this semester: Bill, Chrisses 2, Patty, Ward,
Randy, Mona, Jann, Bob, Larry, Craig, Dave, Jeff, Pat
and Margie.
Sorry I had to do it this way, but 1 ran out of
personals.
Finally, to my readers: You both have been support
ive all year long. I'd like to leave you with a thought that
Jolin F. Kennedy expressed which has always been
important to me:
"There are three tlungs that are real: God, human
folly and laughter. The first two are beyond our com
prehension, so we must do what we can with the third."
See you next semester.
Look at lessees learned, persoons me tlhioinigs dtairae
The Shakespeare paper is done - the last paper of the
semester. Actually, it's the last paper of an undergraduate
career in English for this graduating senior. Geez, I think
I have paper on the brain. How many papers have I
written in the last two weeks? 11? No, 12 a full
dozen. And now, this column - the last of the semester,
the last in a short journalism career. What does one
write about in a last column?
OK. Try reminiscing, Becky. Four years ago, what
were your expectations as a freshman? JVho remembers
what they dreamed about four years ago? Four years
ago, I realistically envisioned four years of 4.0. A dream
gr - 1- "I 'I llimillMWDIHlllllllHmil hiiihimmmimimmw "I 1-1
( r Becky
; Stingley
shot to hell the first semester of freshman year. Damn
that chemistry professor. Nobody needs to know valence
charges that well. OK, what other goals did I set then?
I wanted to get into medical school. Mission accomp
lished. I wanted my father to live forever. He died the
next summer. I wanted to write. So now I'm writing,
realizing that nobody pays diddly for writing these days.
I wanted to grow up back then. Now, I realize that people
treat you like an adult, but nobody really grows up.
I worked as a waitress then and I remember Joe Price
of the legendary Kings, Inc., telling me that I would be a
better person because the hag I was waiting on kept
switching her order from cole slaw to cottage cheese.
He said the situation was teaching me the virtue of
patience. I said it was making me annoyed. I'm still pretty
impatient these days. Maybe a little less impatient than I
was before. OK, so I learned something about humility.
Actually, I guess I learned a lot during those restaurant
days.
Back to hopes and goals. In 1980, I hoped George
Bush would get the Republican nomination. He didn't.
Now, budget cuts have become an everyday item. I'm
not saying they wouldn't have if Bush had won the
nomination. I'm just pointing out that they are a reality
now. If Reagan bows out in '84, 1 guess I can be hopeful
about Bush once again.
Back during sophomore year, I dreamed of becoming
intimate friends with the works of the three great
American poets - Whitman, Emerson and Dickinson.
I've spent hours with them, but intimacy is still light
years away. I struggled through organic chemistry that
year and was moderately successful. Ralph Nader's
advice (yes, I really did have dinner with Ralph Nader
at Pontillo's restaurant - ask Ben Knoll) that organic
chemistry was just like crossword puzzles proved to be
true. Do it every day and get as many answers as you
can. Pretty soon, it's like clockwork. Not a bad philo
sophy. It's applicable to just about any subject or
situation.
Speaking of famous personalities, I got to have dinner
with John Anderson a year ago. (This time at P.O. Pears
- you can ask Paul Ecouffey.) It was interesting, to say
the least. What remains in my mind is that the ex-Congressman
from Illinois could not remember where his
daughter was going to college at the time. Funny, how
the most obvious facts slip from one's mind at times.
Then there was my association with ASUN. Yes,
Mike Frost, I too was a victim of the dreaded disease.
I'll f i Tl HI 1. I 11 I 1.1
in jicvci luigci xvenee wesseis oeing cauea a wencn vy
the Board of Regents in one of Dave Luebke's cartoons.
Yes, Renee was a true student advocate. Luebke is a
fine cartoonist also. He's going to Yale next year, you
know.
Continued on Page 6
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