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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1994)
DEB MC ADAMS Normal problems need no cure One of the most rewarding human endeavors is overcom ing adversity. Nearly a mil lion people each month are overcom ing their internal adversity with selec tive brain chemistry. After all, why dig up that inner child and cry hysterically in front of a therapy group when we can eat Prozac and save ourselves further humilia tion? Prozac, introduced in 1988, has become the most widely prescribed antidepressant in the world and one of the most prescribed drugs on college campuses. Many psychiatrists say Prozac is a breakthrough for alleviat ing the symptoms of depression. Those symptoms include sadness, guilt, lethargy, agitation, changes in appetite and sleeping patterns, and feelings of worthlessness. Average symptoms of life include sadness, guilt, lethargy, agitation and so on. There are degrees of depression that exceed the normal sadness of life. At its most severe stage, depression is crippling and physically destructive. Beyond sadness and guilt is hope lessness. Beyond hopelessness — a state of still being able to remember hope — is absolute emptiness. That emptiness is marked by a complete absence of feelings, including fear of death. Each year, nearly 30,000 people in the United States lose their fear of death. About every 20 minutes, one of them commits suicide, usually with a handgun. The suicide rate for people 15 to 24 years old has tripled since 1950. On the psychiatric front, Prozac may offer relief for an incomprehensi ble form of bloodshed. Prozac is also becoming the pre scription of choice for people with obsessive-compulsive and eating dis orders. But where do we draw the line between behavior and disorder? People who take four showers a day and wear rubber gloves to open doors, those who cat several pounds of food Prozac prescription rates suggest several million people have serious mental disorders. Reality suggests we are becoming a society that is intolerant of human nature. in one sitting and force themselves to vomit, and those thinking of suicide should probably risk altering their brain chemistry. These people have serious illnesses. Prozac prescription rates suggest several million people have serious mental disorders. Reality suggests we are becoming a society that is intoler ant of human nature. Dismissible weaknesses are labeled as disorders and dysfunctions and blamed on chem ical imbalances. Shyness is now considered a “per sonality disorder,” and Prozac is be ing used to treat it. General unhappi ness sports the title “dysthymia,” and Prozac is the answer. Negative emotions serve a pur pose. Unhappiness is one of the main reasons people change their lives. Displeasure with the short, bitter cold days of winter is called Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD is probably a natural human inclination to hiber nate when pitted against an unyield ing environment. Our chemical imbalances could just as easily be products of our state of mind as they are the sources of it. Many of our disorders and dysfunc tions may lie within our wayoflife and our expectations of perfection. Young students provide a perfect example. At a time in life when biology rules, society demands not only sexual absti nence, but academic and physical achievement. As a culture that worships compe tition, we measure people against one another. Some students work very hard and are labeled“average.” Others work just as much or less and are labeled “outstanding.” How can we expect these “average” students to reconcile their hard work and feelings of fail ure? We lack asystem of recognition for the efforts of individuals. The ulti mate result of that deletion is people who feel inadequate. The inadequacy is labeled a disorder and treated all too often with drugs. The source of our malaise remains untouched, and our friends at Eli Lilly & Company rake in $ 1.2 billion a year for the sales of Prozac. We spend several more billion dol lars in the United States on pharma ceutical drugs, over-the-counter drugs, illegal drugs and drug enforcement. We stimulate ourselves with caf feine and sugar, and we calm our selves with alcohol and cigarettes. As consumers, we are obsessed with “better living through chemistry.” Chemical manufacturers aren’t likely to discourage us. Some people use prescription drugs because their lives depend on it. Drugs enable these people to function in a way that the rest of us take for granted. Others use prescription drugs because it’s easier to take a pill than it is to overcome adversity. McAdams is a junior news-editorial ma jor and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. kl.MHKKLY SlH KLOt'K Racism has no quick solution Lincoln Northeast High School now has a dress code aimed at preventing racial incidents, Jerry Wilks, Northeast school presi dent, told The Lincoln Star two weeks ago. Wilks said he instituted the code because some students felt intimidat ed. The students who felt threatened and who addressed their concerns to Wilks were African-American, Viet namese, Hispanic and Native Ameri can. When students returned from win ter break, they heard about graffiti on the school buildings. Some of the graf fiti* included swastika signs spray painted on the ground by the school’s main entrance. The words “gook” and “niggers” were decipherable even af ter school officials attempted to re move any sign of the racial slurs. More than a week after the graffiti appeared, members of Northeast’s Black Caucus came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to ask for help. Black Caucus members said they were frustrated that administrators had not called a school assembly to ad dress the graffiti, which had evoked feelings of racism. Members, who were black, told other black students at UNL, includ ing myself, that the administration had ignored the graffiti incident alto gether. The students said they were tired of being mistreated. They were open about the racial hatred white students had toward them and other minorities at Northeast. Black Caucus members said after many pleas, Wilks had agreed to meet with them the next day, and they asked for our support. We gave it to them. Some, including myself, were present at that meeting. 1 sat at a table surrounded by at least 40 to 50 African-American, Na tive American, Hispanic and Viet namese students who skipped lunch to address the issue of racism on North east’s caippus. Vietnamese students told Wilks they felt threatened by white suprem The problem at Northeast is not only Northeast’s problem. Those kids with their racist attitudes are living in the community. acist gangs such as the Greenbay Mafia and Rednecks. They talked about be ing veiled at, even mocked, when speaking in their native tongue. Last I heard, this was supposed to be America, land of the free, home of the brave. Black students complained that while white students were able to show case their racist attitudes by wearing clothing, cowboy boots and hats dis playing the words KICK, Redneck and even swastika signs, blacks were not allowed to wear bandannas in the school. At their meeting with Wilks, stu dents talked about more than just the graffiti. They talked about being called niggers day in and day out and being stereotyped by some of their white teachers. One student said that as a black athlete was walking into class, a white teacher jokingly asked him if he had shot anyone last weekend. Another black student told Wilks what happened when some minority students met with a group of white students to talk about the white stu dents’ use of the word “nigger.” One white student said, “I only call a black person ‘nigger’ when I’m mad at them.” I sat in this room full of 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds and thought about when I was their age. I remember when the city ofOmaha immediately responded when a guidance counselor at my high school made a remark that angered many black students and community leaders. The school board quickly held meetings with students, parents and school staff to discuss the incident. No matter what was said, the community of Omaha wanted to let everyone know that racism and discrimination would not be tolerated. From what I’ve heard about what’s been going on at Lincoln Northeast for months, maybe even years, Wilks should be happy there has not yet been an all-out race riot at his school. Had this been Omaha, this problem prob ably wouldn’t have gotten as out of hand as it has. The dress code is a start to ending the racial injustices minorities have felt at Northeast. But if nothing more is addressed now or in the future, it will be as effective as putting a Band Aid on a wound that needs immediate medical attention. The problem at Northeast is not only Northeast’s problem. Those kids with their racist attitudes are living in the community. They may even be future UNL students. Efforts to end racial hatred need to be initiated at the preschool and ele mentary school levels. Maybe those schools are already doing something about it, but only time will tell when those 6- and 7 year-olds become 16 and 17 and when they arrive at UNL. By then, let’s hope they will have learned to respect ev eryone. If they haven’t learned respect yet, I hope it isn’t too late to teach them. Spurlock la a tealor broadcaidag, aewi editorlal tad Eagllih major a ad a Dally Ne ^ braikaa columaiit. This Valentine’s Day f send your special Valentine a personal qp message in the ^p Daily Nebraskan. ’W' Bring your message to the Daily Nebraskan in the basement of the Nebraska Union before 2 p.m., T i Daily Friday, Feb. 11. Nebraskan 34 Nebraska Union • 472-2588 MC's GRAND 421 South 9th rogro - 8 p.m. >N THE 9TH. sejpFWin. Lincoln • 477-3467 The Best Just Got Bigger & Better RLTERNfiTIVE TfiN 1 Month Unlimited $29 •New Bulbs! •More Beds, New Beds! •New Expanded Hours! 3 Weeks Until Our Grand Re-Opening! 48th & R, Centro Plaza 466-1201 Yell/Dance Squad Tryouts Open to any males or females interested in trying out. Attend information meeting in NE Union TUES., Feb. 15,7:30pm (Room to be posted) Come see what cheering for the Huskers is all about! 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