Monday, May 6, 1985
Daily Nebraskan
Pago 5
Students need to protest 'real ' issues
Pretty proud of yourselves, aren't you? "Just
like the '60s," the papers said. For the first
time In years, UNL students organized en
mass to march and protest a social Injustice.
Refreshing? Nostalgic? No. Mostly, Just sad.
It was not only the anachronism of short hair
cuts, stylish backpacks and designer sportswear
that made last Monday's march on the Capitol
hopelessly comtemporary. It was also the cause.
James
Sennett
If we wanted '60s style protests, we had plenty
of opportunities in recent months. The MX mis
sile, Nicaraguan involvement, proposed federal
budget cuts any one of these or a dozen other
controversial issues would have sent the
socially-minded '60s students pouring into the
streets.
Yet, while" these matters raged, ASUN, the
UNL student body and everyone else who was so
gung-ho over last week's rally sat in the class
rooms, hung around the Nebraska Union video
machines and competed in brandname Hacky
Sack tournaments on the Centennial Mall.
So what made the difference? What turned
this sea of apathy into a raging tidalwave of
political dissent? The only thing that could
arouse the sleeping materialistic giant a
threat to Its deity, the pocketbook. Nuclear
holocaust threatens? Hey, man I've gotta get
to class. Children dying in Ethiopia? Yeah, it's
sad; but "A Team" is on tonight. America's poor
getting the shaft again? I know it's not right, but
we've got a "Drink and Drown" party to get ready
for! They're going to make us pay more to go to
school? That does it paint some signs; call the
press; tell the professors to cancel class; we're
headed for the Capitol steps!
Yes, Madonna, we are living in a material
world. And you have plenty of counterparts right
here on the UNL campus girls and boys alike.
It wasn't just the long hair, raveled jeans and
propensity to occupy public buildings that made
the '60s so unique. It was, more than anything,
the dedication to fight for a cause. It was a cause
that oftentimes had little to do with you person
ally, but affected great numbers of people you
didn't know, but cared about a great deal. So
men marched for women's rights, women pro
tested the draft, Northern whites fought for
Southern blacks, and everyone cared about
someone else.
No, of course it wasn't that idealistic. But it
was qualitatively different. We really thought
"the Age of Aquarius" was on to something.
Maybe it was possible to unite us all in selfless
endeavors. But Nixon resigned, Vietnam ended,
Jerry Reuben got a haircut and the "Me Genera
tion" rose from the ashes of Berkeley. Now stu
dents protesting South African apartheid or col
lecting for hunger relief funds are just odd
enough to make the last five minutes of the
Nightly News.
So, in answer to those cry3 of "Where were the
23,700?" I can only say that they were right
where the 300 were when the real issues needed
addressing. It was not that 300 cared so much as
the fact that 23,700 were consistent. If you are
going to be apathetic, do it all the way. If you are
going to care, care about more than yourselves.
The transparency of last Monday's protest was
pitiful. No, I don't want to pay higher tuition any
more than the rest of you. But the fact that this
issue alone could arouse our protest in the midst
of a world sliding relentlessly into hell gives one
pause to weep.
mf 'xy f""'
Letters
UNL student questions
veterinary school plans
After reading my recent letter, (Daily Nebras
kan, May 1), I realized that I should have raised
specific questions about the proposed vet school.
1) If the federal government is so hard up for
money, how can it be expected to subsidize
construction of this project?
2) Is there really a demonstrated need in the
state for a vet school?
3) Hard economic choices need to be made to
maintain the high quality of the University of
Nebraska. Can we afford to lower that quality for
new programs at this time?
I am not opposed to new programs to upgrade
the university. I am opposed to fiscal irresponsi
bility, corporate welfare and porkbarreling and
this whole project reeks of the latter. The price
tag being thrown around only is for start up; the
maintenance is going to be the main cost. And
what happens if the federal money is not
available?
Jonathan E. Davis
graduate student
forestry
Controversial columns
force readers to think
Bravo, Bill Allen! As nearly as I can recall, you
have just set a personal record. I don't remember
this many letters protesting your comments even
after your "Greek" columns. But then, theater
majors can write.
I have two comments for your detractors.
First, it is my firm opinion that to get people to
think, one must sometimes provoke them. By
making your "victims" angry, you have also (I
hope) forced them to seriously think about their
beliefs and why they hold them. This leads to
clarity of thought and rational arguments. Your
articles may, therefore, end up being beneficial
to the theater students and department. Just
because I don't agree with what you said (I am a
former theater major), it doesn't mean I can't
gain from reading and discussing it.
Second, how many of these theater students
complained this vociferously when you were
lambasting the Greek system?
Kelly Downing
graduate
agricultural engineering
Reagan 's act
hardtofollow
The president is a bit like me. Once he
was a movie actor, which meant showing
up every day to film scenes that did not
necessarily have anything to do with one
another. You could shoot the end of the
picture first and the beginning last. It did
not matter. Later, he went into the busi
ness of writing newspaper columns, radio
speeches and, of course, politics. He
knows even better than I do that what you
say one day does not necessarily have to
have anything to do with what you said the
day before.
iiiwh' mi jh -uiimi mill nn). urnim-. wihij lii i-m. im.1 in
&ty Richard
-3? Cohen
Maybe this accounts for the discon
nected feel of the Reagan administration.
The other day, for instance, the president
went down to the wire on aid to the Nica
raguan contras. He lobbied on the phone;
he lobbied in person. He lost went on
television and talked about the budget.
Lots of issues have been yanked off the
White House stage in this manner. Remem
ber Lebanon? It is not even mentioned
anymore. It closed out of town. Once, it
was worth dying for literally. Once, it
was all that stood between the Soviet
Union and San Diego; the importance of
Lebanon was beyond dispute. Now it is
beyond the horizon.
It's dizzying all the more so since
liberals are supposed to have their heads
in the clouds while conservatives have
their feet on the ground. It has not worked
out that way. Instead, we have government
by photo opportunity and enough discon
tinuity to match a night of television pro
gramming. In Ronald Reagan's Washing
ton, one thing often has nothing to do with
another. That's because Ronald Reagan's
Washington is like Hollywood: Someone
keeps yelling "Cut!" Once it was a direc
tor. Now it's reality.
1985, Washington Tost Writers Group
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