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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1996)
Sonia HOLUMON Coming to terms n Fm very attached to the new person in my life Recently, some girls I know mentioned that I had put on a little bit of weight, that perhaps my sweater was a little too tight. Normally, I would have told them it was just because I have perfect, enormous boobs, but I finally decided to just be honest. Yes, my boobs are real, but no, I didn’t overin dulge at the Turkey table. I’m having a baby. There are some people who aren’t sure what to say when I tell them that, because they figure that since I’m unmarried, I must be pretty devastated. Here’s a helpful hint — just say congratulations. When I first discovered.that some unknown person had attached herself to my uterus, I have to admit the only thing I could think about was getting back to a state of unpregnancy, of being myself again and pretending that this had never happened. All I could think about was what other people would think. How does a college-educated girl from the suburbs end up in this situation? After all, it’s the ’90s, and you would think we all knew better than to let 66 The inevitable changes that a child would bring didn't scare me half as much as the thought of tarnishing my image” something so “After-School Special” happen to us. Trust me, there’s nothing anyone could say that I didn’t say to myself in my bathroom mirror. Nobody’s better at flogging themselves with obvious observations than they are when they’ve just made some incredibly stupid mistake. But now I’ve realized what I was so upset about. The inevitable changes that a child would bring didn’t scare me half as much as the thought of tarnishing my image. Like most people, I had been able to tell myself that what other people thought about me really didn’t matter - too much, seeing as how I don’t like a lot of people anyway. The truth is, we’re all deathly afraid of letting other people find out how human and vulnerable we really are, which is why we lie, hide our feelings or claim not to watch “The Real World.” I was afraid that everyone would be disappointed in me, that I difln’t deserve to be seen as a role model anymore, because I’d blown it. So why not just get rid of it? Sounds pretty easy, huh? But to me, an abortion seemed a lot like suicide. A permanent solution to a temporary problem, and once I got over myself, I knew that an abortion would make me miserable. Personal religious beliefs aside, an abortion would have sent me spiraling downward into a depression I could never have returned from. So I made the only choice I could live with. The funny thing is, I’m not just living with it, I’m pretty excited about it. Once I made the choice to have this child, I wasn’t in turmoil anymore, and all I had was this fantastic sense of peace. My mom said “Congratulations!” when I told her — and one of the people I’ve tried to be a role model for made me feel the best. My friend Tamika started crying and gave me an enormous hug. When Tasked her if she was disappointed in me, she echoed my mother’s response: “Disappointed? Are you kidding? I love you!” Not everyone in my situation is as fortunate as I am — I have an enormous family that loves me enough to give me back rubs and not let me eat too much ketchup. Plus, they like to tease me about my butt .... Come to think of it, they have always done that. My daughter, Samaria, is due in April, and I’m really looking forward to meeting her. From what I know about her now, she’s either going to be a world-class gymnast, or one hell of a female boxer. I used to feel sorry for people in love, but now, I think maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe I’m crazy for being in love with someone I’ve never met, but you know how they say love is blind. So don’t feel sorry for me, or think that my future is in the trash. Actually, go ahead and think what you want —just don’t think I don’t want shower gifts. My theme is Winnie the Pooh. Hollimon is a senior broadcast ing major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. Anthony • NGUYEN Last blast Gonna go out with a bomb, er, uh, a boom There were so many things I wanted to talk about and share with you this semester, but any brain cells with flashes of insight were quashed and destroyed at the beginning of the semester. So I’ll let everything hang loose, ‘cuz there won’t be any letters to the editor. I thought I’d tackle some of the news stories this week and over the course of the semester, but namely, I just wanted to spout off one more time. So with a sense of giddiness and excitement here is my last weekly column: I’m sick and tired of all the ad hominem attacks our society relies on when discussing anything of substance. Whether it’s politics, welfare, affirmative action, abortion, crime and punishment, hell, even letters to the editor—whatever trips our fancy for the particular week— we mostly hear attacks on people, not on issues. When are we going to realize that appealing to prejudice and emotion and attacking the character and motives ofa person, instead of debating the issue on logical grounds, accomplishes nothing? Last week, it was suspected that someone had injected cocaine into food products at a local grocer: Someone offered to sell a Tickle Me Elmo toy for four times the retail price. Christmas will be good this year because of the projected retail sales, NOT because of goodwill towards ii I thought Td tackle some of the news stories this week and over the course of the semester, but namely, I just wanted to spout off one more time ” your fellow human being. And you wonder what happened to all of the holiday cheer. Peace in the Middle East seemed to be on the verge of extinction once again in the aftermath of the murder of an Israeli woman settler and her son. Rwandan refugees have been crossing back and forth between the Rwandan and Tanzanian borders, fearful for their lives at the hands of their own government. In Burma, hundreds of students were arrested for protesting against the military government. I hope one day I can look upon this period in humanity’s history and point to it as an exception to the rule, and not the rule. Some television executives are vowing to fight any government effort to alter their proposed ratings plan. I favor the proposed ratings system. But child-advocacy groups want more detailed ratings. These groups contend that parents want a quantification of the mature themes in television. They say some programs might be more suggestive but less violent, which would make it easier for parents to decide if their children should watch. But does it really matter? At what point is suggestive material more appropriate than violence for kids? There’s a big newsgroup debate right now about who would win in a confrontation: the Defiant from Deep Space Nine, or the Enterprise-E. I love Star Trek, especially TNG, and I personally would give a nod to the - E. But I’d give anything if people invested even one-tenth of their passion for such esoteric issues to something that affects all of human ity. Like the environment. Or ending inequality of the races and sexes. Or just treating others with respect. Speaking of the Internet, this year we’ve seen a big fuss about the “pervasiveness” of perversion on the Net. My 2 cents is that if you want to find pom on the Net you’ve gotta know where to look. It’s not like walking through a red-light district in Boston and being approached for a “transaction.” Come to think of it, you have to know where to look to find the red-light district, too. I know I’m guilty of falling asleep in some of my classes. But I’d like to thank my profs for adding to my “well of knowledge.” Hey, it’s finals week—gotta do anything to get higher grades. SMOOCH. In all seriousness, it can’t be easy to be in a profession where you’re confronted with apathy and indiffer ence. A research paper in Science magazine offered evidence to the possibility that a third hominid species may have coexisted on Earth with two others as recently as 30,000 years ago. The research pointed to the possibility that Homo erectus could have survived and been alive at the same time as Homo sapiens and Neanderthals (whose own place in evolution is controversial). If this discovery bears fruit, it could certainly change the way evolution in humanity is viewed. Well, it won’t be a big surprise to me as I’ve secretly suspected some people of being from the H. erectus family. There’s a lot more I could write and talk about, but space and time, as well as my editor, won’t allow it. By the way, the opinion editor this semester was the bestest, greatest, sweetest, most wonderfulest. If you ever get the chance to work for the DN, take it. I think it’s been the best time I’ve had with the greatest bunch of people who toil away down here in the bottom of the Union — all to make your life a little ^ more informative and enjoyable. In support of my fellow colum nist, Sonia, I’d like to say, I’m pregnant too. And if I write any future columns, you can be sure that they’ll all be about the wonderful world of biochemistry — ‘cuz what do I know ‘bout anything else? Nguyen is a senior biochemistry major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist.
