Loose in London
' . " ■ <
England’s largest city offers lifetime’s worth of sights, sounds for visitors
SHAWN MEYSENBURG is
a sophomore news-editorial
major and a Daily
Nebraskan columnist.
I squeezed into the microscopically
small room. Despite its minuscule size,
the room at this bed and breakfast sat
isfied me. It was clean, comfortable
and it only cost $30 a night.
Since arriving in die city of
London, my mind had been preoccu
pied with finding a satisfactory place
to sleep. Locating lodging ended up
being a trouble-free experience, and I
quickly decided to start having fun.
While on my way to Liec ester
Square, my mind became occupied
with evaluating the many sights to be
seen. Of particular interest to me, how
ever, were the people. London epito
mizes all that a cosmopolitan town
should be. I saw people from all over
the world, most of whom were tourists,
and quickly made a game of guessing
where they were from. Of all the
nationalities represented in London,
the Yanks were the easiest to spot.
Baseball hats, college sweatshirts and,
most of all, white Nike athletic shoes
stood out glaringly against the hip
fashions worn on the streets of
London.
As soon as I arrived in Liec ester
Square, the movie theaters attracted
my attention. Seeing that
‘Trainspotting” was playing, I decided
to check it out After paying about 12
bucks (yikes!) for a ticket I took my
seat in arguably one of the nicest
movie theaters on the planet
The film exceeded my expecta
tions. The acting was Oscar-quality
(though this could be considered an
insult by some) and the plot was enter
taining, if a bit unusual
Despite the lurid content of the
film, I had developed an appetite and
went in search of food. The sheer num
ber of dining options gave me a
headache. 1 finally settled on a pricey
dish ofHaagen-Dazs ice cream and
headed back to my hotel.
As I meandered back to the hotel,
looking for my fellow countrymen
became an amusing pastime. Although
the Americans there came in all
shapes, sizes and ages, one trait was far
too common among them: white
Nikes.
After arriving back at the hotel I
found myself watching some mind
numbing documentary on TV All die
while, though, I thought about Nike
cross trainers and began wondering
why Yankee tourists seemed to have
such an affinity for them. Even if
they’re the most comfortable shoes on
tiie planet, why would everyone have
them? Were they given out free at the
airport?
Before drifting off to sleep, I
decided on a game plan for my few
days in London: I’d check out the city
during the day and see plays or films
during the evening.
I awoke early the next morning,
showered, dressed and ate my free
breakfast at the hotel. The quality of
the food wasn’t too high but it was
free, so I had few complaints.
After breakfast, I wandered out
onto the street and made my way to the
British Museum. Walking into this
place was like going back in time.
I spent more than an hour in the
documents rooms checking out vari
ous famous manuscripts. Seeing origi
nal copies of the Gutenberg Bible and
the Magna Carta impressed me. The
section of the museum dedicated to
ancient Egypt captivated me as well.
While I was in this part of tiie
museum a group of schoolchildren,
apparently on a field trip, wandered
through. I remember them because
they behaved themselves so well. Their
teachers weren’t constantly fighting to
maintain order and discipline in the
group. I was again impressed.
I spent the rest of my second day in
Soho, digging through the stacks of
some of London’s many record shops.
Needless to say, this activity emptied
my bank account Still, I found some
really good albums.
That evening I went to a small
playhouse ami caught a production
called “Brothers of the Brush.” This
drama, set in Dublin, chronicled die
day-to-day struggles of a group of Irish
drywall hangers.
The play was realty quite depress
ing, but the actors gave superb perfor
mances and I left the theater with a
desire to become a real working class
hero.
The next day, I went to the Tate
Gallery. I’d never seen the works of
Picasso or Dali in person, so this
excursion proved to be very worth
while. The only other thing I remem
ber about that particular day is seeing
the play “Twelve Angry Men.”
The next few days transpired much
the same, realty. I spent my days walk
ing through the famous art galleries of
London, and in the evenings I watched
a few unmemorable films. The time I
spent in Mayfair, however, was quite
interesting.
I ended up there by accident While
wandering around Hyde Park, I got
lost and left the park heading in the
wrong direction.
I hadn’t really wanted to go to
Mayfair because I figured I’d only see
million-dollar homes and snooty rich
people. I was right Wealth abounded.
For me, however, the place was too
nice. I quickly decided to leave that
part of town and vividly remember
feeling relieved when I hit Oxford
Street
A short while later; I had a look at
Buckingham Palace. While I’m sure
itls an impressive structure, I couldn’t
tell. The whole thing was surrounded
by a huge fence with barbed wire atop
it
A few days isn’t nearly enough
time to take in all that this dty has to
offer. A lifetime might not even be suf
ficient If you go to London, don't
carefully plan out a sightseeing sched
ule. Make all ofyour daily plans at the
last minute and be totally flexible.
Have fun, amid the wax museum,
eat some good fish and chips and
remember that die neatest things to do
in this city are either free or really
cheap. Also, go to Westminster i^bbey.
I didn’t, and I feel an awkward sense of
guilt for not doing so.
Finally, plan your wanfaobe care
fully. Leave the baseball caps and col
lege wear at home. Wearing comfort
able shoes is important, but try to
choose footwear thatls cooler than
Nike cross trainers.
Boys don’t cry
Real manliness involves showing emotions, respecting womemA^
MARK ZMARZLY is a senior English
and speech communications major
and a Daily Nebraskan columnist.
As children, most of us were taught that God cre
ated man and woman. God created them in his own
likeness to compliment each other and produce off
spring. God provided Adam with no handbook or
lecture on masculinity, and thus emotion and procre
ation abounded.
Imagine the same story set in the modem day.
God created man and woman. Man felt an obligation
from society to display the true essence of masculin
ity and male responsibility. Man guarded his emo
tions and never allowed himself to care for woman.
Along the way were one-night stands, broken
promises, a pass at woman’s best friend, and in the
end, no man at all.
You’re probably saying, “What is this idiot talk
ing about?” What I am trying to get at, is that some
where since the beginning of life, things have
changed in the male world. The first man in history
was never told that if he displayed emotion he would
be looked down upon. His life was one of emotion
and love. To be a man in today’s society is difficult
A male must be successful in work and family. To be
masculine is to be physically and emotionally strong.
Somewhere along these guidelines, emotional
strength became emotional suppression.
Let s laKe a survey to prove my point 1 want
everyone who has cried in the last year to raise his or
her hands. (For those of you who have actually
raised your hand, this is a rhetorical thing. Put them
down).
Why aren’t there more males represented? Two
simple reasons: Guys rarely cry, and those who do,
don’t want the ridicule of their friends. Crying is just
an obvious emotional expression. The thing that
most concerns me is the loss of the ability to express
oneself emotionally, especially to a woman.
Males become so accustomed to masking their
true emotions that it seems like second nature. At
this point the male behavior goes from unhealthy to
dangerous. You begin to not care about women and
finally fail to see them as people. It is easier to use a
woman for physical means as opposed to actually
caring for one. This behavior is not only common
among males, but the effect is amplified when in a
primarily male setting, such as a fraternity.
Ilovemy fraternity-always will. Joining was
the best decision I have ever made, and I will always
cherish the memories I have there and the experience
I will take away from it That being said, fraternity
life am lead to the destructive lifestyle that I have
described above.
For those of you who are now marching up greek
row trying to dose down the remaining fraternities, ; >,>
allow me to clarify my position. A fraternity is not a ^
breeding ground for guys who use women. Some of
my closest brothers have been with the same woman ^
all through college and are getting married in the ^
summer.
On the other hand, some of my closest brothers
never last more than two weeks with the same
woman, but these behaviors stem from personal
choice, not group affiliation. As a group, fraternities
attempt to teach respect toward women. I don’t think
you will find one pledge program on campus where
this is not a goal, but somewhere between group exe- ? X
cution and individual attitude, this goal falls short In
the end, the fraternity simply provides males with the
opportunity to use women, in the way of social func- : -
tions, social skills and ample occasions to meet A
women. yf
The sad truth of the situation is that this type of tX.
behavior can flourish in any primarily male group. ■>
Let me give you an example: Let’s say five guys are ;■>;
sitting around in a room. One has a drinking prob- y.
lem, one comes from a broken family, one is getting >. •
kicked out of die university with a 0.6, one works in '
a pom shop and one has a girlfriend. Which one gets 3
made fun of the most?
Obviously, the one with the girlfriend will be the f l
target. He will receive taunts and whipping sounds J
when among his friends. A male’s tendency toward
treating women poorly does increase when faced day
in and day out with this kind of pressure. You lose * *
sight of the fact that this friend of yours truly cares
for a woman, and all you see is a “whipped little
boy.”
For those men out there who are frantically writ
ing a response to my column to prove to women that
all guys aren’t bastards, please grant me a small i;,
favor. Go take a close look in the mirror and ask
yourself some questions. Have you ever dogged on
one of your friends for being “whipped?” Have you
made yourself emotionally available to every woman
that you’ve dated? Have you ever made a degrading
remark about a woman? Ask yourself these ques
tions and then pick that pen back up if you think I’m
wrong.
This is not an attempt to condone or justify this
type ofbehavior. Males, myself included, have fallen
off of the path of good intentions and must try to cor
rect this behavior. It would be nice to say that there is
a cure or a method to stop this destructive behavior,
but there is no such 12-step program. If the men out .
there can look at this as a warning and not a how-to
guide, then I think it’s a step in the right direction.
The only real cure for this behavior is a woman.
One day all of the guarding will cease and a
woman will be allowed in to see what true masculin
ity should be.
