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EffectioM: Too easy it atoiita?
Fans have a right to boo and hiss if they think a
performer has performed badly or been judged
harshly. They have that right just as they have the
right to cheer, clap and spring to their feet in a
standing ovation. However, at the men's gymnas
tics event of the 1034 Olympics Tuesday, the fans
stretched their right a little too far.
These fans booed not the athletes, who showed
extraordinary talent. On the contrary, they booed
the Olympic judges in support of the athletes. The
fans booed the judges more than once for giving
some athletes 9.95 points on a 10-point scale. A
9.95 isnt something to clap and cheer for? Obvi
ously these fans expected nothing less than per
fection. They had seen perfection earlier, in the preli
minaries. Many gymnasts received 10s, and the
fans expected more of the same in the actual
competition.
And perfection they saw, with three perfect
10s, from performances by U.S. gymnasts alone.
The Chinese team also had its share of 10s.
But where do athletes go once they achieve
perfection? Do they keep getting more and more
perfect?
No, the judges just keep giving them perfect or
close-to-perfect scores. Perfection becomes eas
ier to attain.
The judges are in a bind: Ever since they gave
Romanian gymnast Nadia Comeneci 10 points for
four performances in the 1975 Olympics, the
crowd has expected more of the same, or at least
close to that. Now when the first gymnasts per
form, they usually get scores of more than 9
points, closer and closer to 10 points. Because of
rules judges must follow, the following scores
must be in range of the first.
One ABC commentator remarked Tuesday how
amazing it was that the athletes had so outdist
anced the scoring. That is true. It is amazing that
so many perfect athletes exist. Unbelievable,
some people would say.
If the athletes have improved that much since
the last Olympic Games, maybe it's time for the
scoring to be reworked. Standards of perfection
should be tougher as the athletes get better.
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Letter
In reference to the Miss America
editorial (Daily Nebraskan, July 27),
Lincoln isn't "drooling" or "licking its
chops" over the nude Vanessa Williams
edition of Penthouse magazine. People
should approach the situation realis
tically something many journalists
stray from and defend those who were
simply curious about the photographs.
Curiosity of both men an j women
stemmed from the media's bombard
ment of stories over the ordeal. Many
people asked themselves, "Just what is
in those photographs?" Even William
Raspberry, a respected syndicated col
umnist, looked at the photos and wrote
an editorial about them. Yet, those of
us who dare look afWilliams in Pent
house were scornfully branded by the
Daily Nebraskan as "droolers" over the
idea that "women are sex-starv ed, pas
sive objects who like to run naked
through the dew and eat red popsi
cles." Did our curious peek at Williams
really mae us degrade all women? Of
course not.
No doubt most of the people who
supposedly defiled themselves by view
ing pictures were shocked. They are
simply unbelievable and very sad. After
looking at them, I cant say I feel sorry
for Williams. However, I do feel sorry
for the Miss America pageant, a fun,
harmless American tradition.
Many times journalists get too caught
up in the significance of events. How
can the Daily Nebraskan realistically
say that all the people who looked at
the photos are "droolers" and have
"degraded women?" They simply acted
in curiosity, spurred on by the press
and by talk about the event. Yet, some
will even argue this point. They should
take this test: Look at the photos of
Williams, set the magazine down, and
ask, "Did I just degrade all women in
society?" Then, check for drool on the
pages JeffMcCormick
senior, finance
Editoria
Policy
orme
r Miss A
menc
a sold herself
Unsigned editorials represent qffi:
cial policy of the summer 1984 Daily
Nebraskan. They are written by this
summer 's editor in chief, Lauri Hopple.
Other staff members will write edi
torials throughout the summer. They
will carry the author 's name after the
final sentence.
Editorials do not necessarily reflect
the views of the university, its em
ployees, the students or the NU Board
of Regents.
The Daily Nebraskan ys publishers are
the regents,, who established the UNL
Publications Board to supervise tfie
daily production of the newspaper.
According to the policy set by the
regents, responsibility for the content
of the newspaper lies solely in the
hands of its student editors.
The controversy over former Miss
America Vanessa Williams raises some
important questions. However, all of
the hoopla and hullabaUoo car. be
minimized if we understand a very
important social fact: there are black
people who can look black but who can
be white in their attitudes and their
actions. This contradiction then, is at
the base of the issue, and explanation
follows.
atthew
Stelly
fj Daily
EDITOR
GENERAL MANAGER
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CHAIRPERSONS
PROFESSIONAL ADVISER
Lauri Hoppta. 472-1758
Oariiel Shattll
Kitty Pollcky
Tom Byrnt
Kelly Mangan
Siavt Mtyvr
Jim Kut:i
Jam Nytf alar
Nick Foley. 47S-49S1
Angola Niatfeld,
475-4981
Don Walton, 473-73C1
The Daily Nebraskan (USPS 144 080) is published by
the UNL Publications Board Monday through Friday m
the fall and spring semesters and Tuesdays and Fridays
in the summer sessions, except during vacations.
Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and
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ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1SS4 DAILY NtBBASKAM
In the first place, environment creates
personalities. Therefore, it is almost
impossible to be born in a racist society
and not be racist, either consciously or
unconsciously. In like manner, many
blacks are born into white communities,
taught white values and principles.
This explosure leads to a kind of "anti
cipatory socialization process" wher
eby parents and other significant indi
viduals literally "program" the black
youth into believing in and acting out
white values and attitudes.
At an early age, Williams was force
fed music by both of her parents who
were school teachers. She had to study
music until her 18th birthday. Along
the way, she picked up all of t he values
of her background in New York's town
ship of Millwood, and even latched on
to a white boyfriend.
Williams went to work as a recep
tionist for the photographer who event
ually took the nude photos. According
to him, Williams saw him taking pic
tures of two other women and wanted
to be involved in a similar scenario. To
this day, she has not denied these alle
gations. In my view we have a simple equa
tion: rejection of one's black past plus
inculcation of white values plus a mis
guided "success ethos" equals exploi
tation. Purely and simply, Williams
pimped herself and ain't no need in
nicknamin the truth! ,
As her own pimp, she decided to
enter the Miss America pageant, and
agreed that she would uphold the
principles of the pageant which she
did. The Miss America pageant is the
biggest pimp of all This involves money
money made for those other than
the individual who has the body and
who performs the acts.
So then, Williams' biggest pimp, the
pageant, finds out that another pimp,
the photographer, has decided to move
into the pageant's territory. Outraged,
the pageant committee decides that
Vanessa has somehow besmirched the
crown, has somehow violated the
"wholesomeness" of the pageant.
How could she? The real issue is
simple: as long as she prostituted her
self solely for the pageant, she was a
"call girl." But when the photos were
revealed, she lost her lofty status and
was reduced to a mere "streetwalker."
Howeve'r, the fact that few seem to
understand is that in both cases she is
still a prostitute.
Williams deserves all the money she
can make, because she has sacrificed
so much to get where she is today. Giv
ing up the crown means nothing, be
cause her exposure as a top-rated "call
girl" enables her to command higher
prices for her future roles as a sex
object. Williams can now do movies,
she can go on the lecture circuit, and
she can make big bucks because she
represents what America's perception
of women is ail about: breasts and no
brains, thighs but no thoughts and
bootie and beauty devoid of a sense of
duty.
The "controversy" is not so new or.
nerve. shattering once the entire con
text of the situation is analyzed and
understood. Vanessa, like the rest of
us, is a prostitute. And we need only
assess the scope and power of the
"master pimp" to see that this is the
real issue.
V!
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Dally Nebraskan
Friday, August 3, 1984
