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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1989)
Reader defines sexism, feminism in several of the most recent Issues of the DN there have been many mentionings of sexism. Sexism is a stereotypical way of perceiving a certain gender. Sexism applies to both males and females. Generally it is not a conscious perception but rather a way we are socialized to think from the day we are born. A nude baby is treated dif ferently than a female baby. Behavior patterns are set - "real boys" play with cars and guns while "real girl/’ play with baby dolls and cooking utensils. Parents don’t tell their chil dren this, but peer pressure, books, television programs and films all convey the message of what’s "nor mal" gender-wise. At this early age, physical differences are minimal - so the roles are mentally imposed. Arguments can be made as to ' whether women are as strong as men in (he same way as arguments can be mads as to men’s ability to cook, sew and bring up children. Moat of these are definitely not innate qualities but socialized. The argument that some women are proud of their feminine physique (36-24-36) does not mean the fraternity penny drop wasn’t sex ist (DN Sept. 27). These women are applying sexist stereotypes to them selves, which doesn’t make them any better or more acceptable. There has also been some confu sion as to the connection between feminism and sexism. In a broad sense, feminism is an attempt to strip away or at least make people aware of the gender stereotyping done toward women (and men) by both women and men. Some people take this to an ex treme to retaliate for the hundreds of years women have been socialized to be subservient, lesser beings. It is not the idea that all women are saints (DN, Sept. 28), but more that they’ve been on the bottom so long that they deserve to be in control for awhile. This is an extreme point of view. A professor of mine told his class about opening a door for a woman ooct, only to nave her say that she’d rather do it for herself. He did not appreciate this - even feminists should "know how to be women." He likes to open doors for women just as he likes to see women's legs and so forth. He fails-to see that the woman in question only protested his action because of its sexist intent - he was opening the door for a woman, not for a fellow human being. * If we applied his logic to racism, we could justifiably say we like biiacks so long as they only try to achieve status in sports and music. He would view this as a totally bigoted way of thinking and most unjustifi able. Sexism is destructive because it discounts a lot about people based solely on their gender. Feminism is* not the same as man hating” and is not something men should view as a weakness in other men and undesir able in women. "Mainstream femi nism'* is an attempt to emphasize that people are people first and foremost, that gender should have as little to do with the way people are perceived as their eye color or hair length. NeUEckersley sophomore social science/Spanish Reader condemns Enquirer tactics Editorial contradicts First Amendment Dear Lee Rood, 1 would like to start this lettei by saying that I do not appreciate your . cheap interpretation or my intentions (DN, Sept. 29). I also do not like the remark you made, and I quote: “Marking pens were not enough, nor was Schultz’s after-the-fact confes sion that he found the posters in bad taste.” How do you know that! found the posters in bad taste after the tact? Did you follow me around for the three weeks we had the posters to substantiate that fact? I think not This in earn reminds me of ground less Enquirer-type tactics to bring your point across. Did you know that I was the first person so confront Mick Dyer about the posters jo hecourddoan article of this issue? 1 think not Yqu act like I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I do not appre ciate you calling my opinion on the matter, and subsequent explanation, a makeshift rebuttal. My point was made perfectly clear on this issue in the article. I censored the posters against my will, even though I found them in bad taste. The reason I did not feel good about cen soring the posters is because 1 am not God, or our founding fathers, and do not feel my opinions come before freedom of speech and expression. Lee, if you had been at the show yourself, and spoken with the band, and had the journalistic smarts to get their opinion, I would have not found your editorial so shallow, sensation alistic, and unfounded. It really upsets me when people who consider themselves journalists contradict themselves within the span of an article. If you believe in the First Amendment, then live and let live. If you don’t, then move to East Germany. It’s obvious that you found it of fensive. It’s obvious I found it in bad taste; but perhaps some people went home and framed one of the posters and hung it above the mantel. Lee, I -find the Ku Klux Klan, death squads in El Salvador, animal experimentation, and nuclear waste often si ve,too. But I need to remember (and so do you) that they all have a right themselves. (Except for the poor defenseless animals.) To end my letter in the same fash ion as yours: Let's hope unsubstanti ated, opinionated, and disturbing let ters are no way for the Daily Nebras kan to drum up business. God bless America. Stephen Schultz owner of Project Import musical director for Duffy's Tavern Jail term unfair to James Brown I feel that the present judicial sys tem is sentencing people to jail terms without a fair chance. Just because the courts are backed up is no reason for pushing a person through the trial without really hear ing what they have to say. • This is really, really, really unjust! Free James Brown. Doug Couron • sophomore actuarial science - The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters so the editor from all readers and interested others. Letters will be selected for publi cation on the basis of clarity, original ity, timeliness and space available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit all material submitted. Readers also are welcome to sub mit material as guest opinions. > Whether material should run as a let ter or guest Gpinacu, or not lo run, if left lo the editor's discretion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot he leawned. Letters should be iypewiiir ten. Anonymous submissions will not be consideied Ibr publication. Lotted should indude the author's name, year in school. ma£* and group affili Mian, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily Ne braskm, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln. Neb. ^85««044S. wBb% research ^ '^iiinnnu.illliu** * ^ Support tha y . flpMag&atfiiaag OCTOBER PERM I Jt * $10°° Off Perm, Cut, & Style • H • . *. • Oct. 2-14 , _ } Not NW oU cflNor qAhi or prornoOcns NoouNOnp oim awMMMo MiOutpoOnq mpMwiie. iam »Mr by cormd - **w». / « Slop By Or CaN For An Appointment rmh osata) ssras ' V.m 4750550 % __ . ■ - - - J- : Reader speaks out on sexism Some believe stylistic charac teristics (such as,the way some body talks or the way he writes) can bo judged in and of them selves, without reference to one’s motives, as “sexist” It is my be lief that these individuals must be so dogmatically fettered to what is mistakenly called “egalitarian ism,” that they are not realty in possession of the power to Blink. I am inclined to conjecture that they have probably spent the better part of their education learning what to think, rather than how to think. As unfortunate as this is, per haps the victims of the “educa tional system” could be directed ' to truly “neutral” language such as Persian, and away from such sexist languages as Spanish, Ger man, French and even English^ A “sexist” language such as English would not suffer the crude disfigurement imposed on it by ideologues wishing to make it conform to their shallow, jaded orthodoxies. If such an arrange ment were made, language would be safe from "thinking*' which totally Ignores the aesthetic value of language. But obviously not everybody would participate in such a program. So we are left to face a potentially dangerous situ ation. The egalitarians, following a sort of totalitarian line of reason ing, continue to intimidate and discriminate against those who do not think precisely as they do. I tend to blame the public school system as a major promoter of absurd totalitarian notions, mud socialistic philosophies. It is this system primarily which turns out graduates with dangerous cookie cutter mentalities. But what can one expect from a socialistic insti tution? Darin J. Kiiepper senior history/German education Gangs and Drugs in Lincoln? # Attend the Open Forum: - V A l , - » Sponso 115 Nebraska Union-472-2581 I inmnnn^ ■ i in 11 ii him.. j mm wwi iff n^fiipw nm iiM* im m gun'i^m11 *'i yw—ijm