Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1998)
Reggie’s right All-Pro’s controversial statements were on the money JOSH MOENNING is a sophomore political sci ence and advertising major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. I respect Reggie White. This respect exists not only because he’s one of the NFL’s tough est players and he’s got a Super Bowl ring. My respect for White is furthered because he is a morally upright man who isn’t afraid to proclaim his beliefs. Indeed, anyone who has the chutzpah to say what he said in front of the Wisconsin Legislature a few weeks ago demands my respect. It takes a brave man to openly uic auuuics ui puuucm correct ness that have pervaded our culture. White’s much-maligned speech, like his style on the gridiron, was aggres sive and direct. Now some of you may not have heard all of what White said, and most probably didn’t get the entire meaning of the speech, thanks to the media, so I will attempt to review and rehash some of White’s main points. First, White broke one of the biggest rules of political correctness: He stated that homosexuality is actu ally (gasp) a sin. He even had the gall to add that he is offended that homosexuals “compare their plight with the plight of black people” and say they have been persecuted and discriminated against. “Homosexuality is a decision; it’s not a race,” he rightfully stated. I have to say that I believe that Reggie is right. The civil-rights movement of black people was and never will be anything like that of the “civil-rights movement” of gays. Like White inferred, you can’t choose your race, but gays do choose their homosexuality. Why should gays be granted special rights simply for their inability to control their sexual perversions? But White didn’t just single out homosexuality. He said he believed heterosexual sex outside marriage is a sin and that contemporary culture was encourag ing children to engage in it. He claimed another unpopular stance when he took a shot at our president’s high popularity, saying that some people think it’s OK for a leader to live any way he wants as long as the economy is good. “What good is the economy if morality is not being taught to our children?” he asked. This guy’s my hero. Here he is, one of the NFL’s biggest stars, stat ing publicly things that public lead ers should have had the courage to say long ago. But what the press focused on most were the remarks White made about various racial groups. By making generalizations about different races, no matter how accu rate they might have been, White demolished another set rule of politi cal correctness: Never, ever mention racial differences or anything that could possibly be taken as racially “insensitive.” In making the racial statements, White’s intent was to show that each group has its own gifts, and once these special gifts are put together, they would “form a complete image of God.” Though his words may not have been artfully chosen, Reggie made his case. He made rational general izations about different racial groups that can hardly be historically or fac tually disputed. The first group he commented on was African-Americans. He said, in effect, that blacks are gifted in worship and celebration. He said, “If you go to a black church, you see people jumping up and down because they really get into it.” Will anyone deny this? White should know what he’s talking about; he is an ordained minister. He said whites are blessed with the gift of structure and organization and “did a good job with building businesses and things of that nature.’ Although I do know some white people who can’t run their own lives, much less a business, there are indeed many successful white busi ness owners. White said Hisnanirs are aifteH in family organization, saying they often have large families living under one roof. Again, will anyone dispute this? Many Hispanic fami lies are very close and show a com mitment to keeping their members together. He stated that Asians are gifted in creativity and invention, claiming that in “Japan or any Asian country, they can turn a television into a watch.” That might be a little overstated, but the facts are clear. People in or from Asian countries have often led the way in developing the newest in electronic technology. White summed it all up by say ing: “When you put all of that together, guess what it makes? It forms the complete image of God.” After the spee$h,aii hell broke . loose in the Legislature and in the media. Some hastily labeled the speech completely inaccurate and hateful. One of the legislators called White’s statements “inappropriate, inaccurate and offensive.” Another cried, “I’m saddened and I’m hurt... I and other people are deeply offend ed.” Deeply offended? Come on. Ho\ many people do you know who would be offended if it was implied they are gifted in worship and cele bration, good with money, family oriented or very creative? Probably no one. It’s understandable that homo sexuals or adulterers might take offense to White’s remarks. But what they have to understand is that their lifestyles are sinful and unacceptable - to many people, including White. Even with all the controversy his v speech created, Reggie White has remained steadfast in his beliefs and has offered no apologies. “I don’t regret anything I said ... I know the type of person I am, I know I care about people.... But I’m not going to back off what I know God has put on my heart to share.” Finally. Someone who isn’t afraid to say what he knows is right. This nation needs more people like Reggie White. Melanie Falk/DN One too many lessons were learned during first experience with drunkenness^ /Xv _1. * 1_ t 1a 11 a*. _ . _ n i . ■•' ■ * « i* . . SHAWN MEYSENBURG is a sophomore news-edi torial major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. I’m not really sure why I decid ed to do it, but I’m quite certain that I’ll never forget the events (the ones that I can remember, that is) that took place the first time I deckled to get drunk. In retrospect, I believe that my decision was somewhat foolish. Nevertheless, I feel that some valu able lessons were learned that nicrht At the time, I was in the Navy and stationed in Scotland. A few co workers of mine and I had gathered at a restaurant called Roos Leap in Montrose, Scotland, for a Christmas party. We had planned to eat an artery clogging meal and then proceed to a few pubs for some holiday merry making. After driving to the restaurant, my friends (Lee Isenbart, Ann Marie Pain and Angie Watkins) and I discovered that we’d arrived at the place before everyone else, and we V1UV1VU UXUUW VY 11X1V VYV W UllVU. As I recall, I started the evening off with the intention of remaining sober (I had, after all, driven to the restaurant). For some reason, (to this day I’m unable to explain why) I arrive* at the conclusion that becoming intoxicated was a brilliant idea. Since this was to be my first experience with drunkenness, I decided to make the occasion extra special by not only getting drunk, but by becoming as intoxicated as time, finances and my own toler ance levels would allow. By the time everyone had arrived and we’d been seated at our tables, the alcohol from the first couple of drinks I’d had was begin ning to take effect. I’in quite certain that I’ve never found the relatively mundane task of ordering a meal to be as enter taining as I did that evening. A couple of drinks (Foster’s and Sapporo, I recall) accompanied din ner, and I then proceeded to down two or three more at the restaurant’s bar. Since I’d never been drunk before, my tolerance levels were no especially high. Add to this the fact that I’d been consuming alcohol like water for the past half-hour, and one can readily understand why I was quite hammered by the time we decided to proceed to the first pub. After piling into my supervisor’ van, we went to a'pub, the name of wuxvn x van i lvvaii. vy line uiviv, my friend Angie admonished me to slow down, and I ordered a Coke instead of alcohol. Had I not taken her sage advice, I probably would have been fin 1 ished for the evening shortly there after. When we became bored with the first pub, we made our way to a dif ferent place. Drunkenness, as well as fresh-fallen snow, made walking very difficult. I was also beginning to notice that the alcohol had started to affect my ability to make rational deci sions. The second pub was larger and more well-lit than the first, and the beer was cheaper (I should mention, I guess, that beer was my drink of choice that evening). I remember watching some of my co-workers attempting to play HAaI koinn/r o knralir infal 1i/>ik1n —--~ " conversation with the officer who was in charge of me. I also remember stealing a glass from the pub. After spending an unimaginable t amount of time at this pub, we piled into the sober people’s cars and headed to the town of Brechin, about 5 miles away. There we entered an establish ment called Amigos, and it was at this pub that tjie evening began to take a definite turn for the worse. 5 After ordering drinks, we began dancing and singing along to a aiiginiy aiuiuyuig sung uy Diur. At this point, the details of my story will begin to become sketchy. I do vaguely remember drop ping a glass of beer while dancing and immediately falling to my knees into the pool of lukewarm lager and yelling out, “Free beer!” After this, though, things pretty much went black for about two hours, I’m told. Apparently I sang the Bjork song “It’s Oh So Quiet” to a group of Scottish guys sitting around a table. I’ve also been told that I began doing something that my friends referred to as “bar diving.” They said that I would stand about 3 feet away from the bar and then allow myself to fall forward toward the bar and catch myself with my arms. I’m not sure how much of my memory from that evening has been erased, but I began to regain con sciousness snortiy oerore we nead ed home. I barely remember talking to two Scottish girls whose faces I can remember. The conversation itself, and the manner in which it began, however, are gone forever. At closing time, we all began to make our way to the designated dri ver’s cars. I remember pouring myself into the back seat of a beat up Ford Fiesta. As soon as I sat down, however, an overwhelming sensation of nau sea overtook me. I rolled onto the noor oi me car, ^iuck my neaa owsj ofthie ctoQ^mdprocee^fe dbebratefhe streets^ oTBrecSm with the contents of my stomach. On the way home, I threw up some more. Fortunately, the owner of the car happened to have a plastic bag in the back seat. The drive seemed to take an eternity, and I was relieved to see the gates of the military base where I lived. Somehow, I managed to find my way back to my room in the barracks. After quickly getting undressed, I fell into bed and promptly passed out. I’ve never slept more soundly • than I did that night. The next day was unpleasant, not surprisingly. My entire body was in pain, and my stomach was quite upset. On that day, the very smell of an alcoholic beveraee would have probably caused me to pass out. I also made myself the promise that many people do after a particu larly hard night of drinking: “I’ll never do that again!” I don’t get drunk anymore, though I have since that fateful night in December 1995. Drunkenness may be fun from time to time, but I’ve found that any pleasure derived from it doesn’t outweigh the negative side effects, which are numerous (although sere nading Scottish guys with Bjork tunes isn’t one that would occur too often).
