Calling the
kettle black
Demand for Japanese apology
for WWIIneglects US. acts
against citizens
World War II veterans want an apology from Japan.
They hope this apology comes through for them in the
form of LR298, a resolution that would ask the Japanese
government to admit the atrocities committed against
American prisoners of war during the years 1941 -45. The
Legislature’s resolution is part of a nationwide movement
to get a Japanese apology.
We don’t see the point. Furthermore, we think there are
many more apologies to be made before we ever consider
furthering this cause.
Some of these issues have been brought on the legisla
live noor. ben. trnie cnamoers
T). j u. r u pointedly brought up that the
But what about u.S. government has yet to
the numerous apologize for slavery or the
numerous civil nghts violations
atrocities our against African-Americans.
And maybe this should come
American before anything else does.
j There are other apologies that
government has ought to be made, mostly to our
Committed? But wfoat about the numer
ous atrocities our American
government has committed? Before anywhere else, we
must start with World War II itself, and the thousands of
lives lost in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb
ings.
Don’t,get us wrong: We are all well aware of those
bombings’ purposes and the studies that have shown it
saved millions of lives in mainland Japan. But the fact still
remains: The U.S. government willingly incinerated and
blew away innocent people - including many children.
The United States has committed other offenses too
numerous to list. The government has not apologized for
the Vietnam War and often fails to recognize some
tragedies of the Gulf War. So we are in no position to force
an apology.
Besides, after all this time, is there a definitive reason?
The United States has been Japan’s military watchdog for
some time. The two countries have friendly relationships.
Is there any reason to force the current Japanese leader
ship, none of whom had anything to do with World War II,
to lose face over an apology:
No.
Editorial Board
Josh Funk (editor) • J.J. Harder • Cliff Hicks • Samuel
McKcwon • Dane Stickney • Kimberly Sweet • Lindsay
Young
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three.
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Letters to the
EDITOR
No UNL Browns
American Indians have made it
clear that using ethnic images for
team mascots without consent is
offensive and hurtful. Into this mix
comes Neal Obcrmeyer’s cartoon por
traying Eddie Brown, a distinguished
African-American student at UNL, as
a team mascot.
It is hard not to perceive
Obcrmeyer's cartoon as racially
offensive and hurtful. In response to
complaints from the community, Tom
Matas rudely dismissed this as free
speech and nothing more. I’m won
dering how this political science
senior could not know that along with
free speech comes the responsibility
not to libelously insult people.
Yelling “fire” in a crowded theater
and spouting racial hatred in a pub
licly-funded newspaper are irrespon
sible and'should not be allowed. The
DN appears to be rubbing the entire
community’s nose in the filth of racial
hatred and intolerance.
The only winners in this ugly
episode are recruiters from other uni
versities. When competing with the
University of Nebraska, the works of
Obermeyer, Matas and the smug DN
editors are likely to be laminated and
prominently displayed on recruiting
visits.
Steve Larrick
community development
coordinator
College of Architecture
Token apology
No, Mike Nelson (DN Letters,
Feb. 11), you are missing the point.
The cartoon would not have used a
Caucasian because the underlying
issue is regarding Eddie Brown’s use
fulness as a student of color at a pre
dominantly white institution. I believe
the DN staff is upset that Mr. Brown is
being used by UNL as a token, to
show just how progressive it is. This -
ism is more tokenism than racism.
Don’t lose sight of that.
Peggy Jones
UNL alumna 1993
Dehumanizing ’toon
After seeing the cartoon in the
Feb. 9 Daily Nebraskan, I was embar
rassed to say that I attend the
University of Nebraska. It was sad to
sec that this university doesn’t appre
ciate and congratulate students of
color for their accomplishments.
Instead, the newspaper that is sup
posed to represent the students mocks
the involvement and leadership of stu
dents of color.
To compare a human being with
two cartoon-like figures is very dehu
manizing. If the person who won this
award were a Caucasian, I am almost
positive that his or her face wouldn’t
be outlined with a dotted line and scis
sors next to Lil’ Red and Herbie
Husker. It is incidents like this that
make students of color feel unwel
come at this university.
Rheadina Foster
senior
advertising and business
administration
Uptight Moeser
Of all the issues currently going
on, I find it rather amusing that the
chancellor decided to voice his opin
ion on a cartoon. I am referring to
Chancellor Moeser’s letter in refer
ence to Obermeyer’s View, which por
trayed Eddie Brown as a mascot.
Chancellor Moeser’s response
would have been unnecessary had he
thought it through.
bddie Brown is sort ot in the same
limelight as both Lil’ Red and Herbie
Huskcr. I first saw Eddie as an NSE
leader in 1997. Since then, he has
been AS UN second vice president, a
Scarlet singer and involved with the
Culture Center (also a front-page
story), just to name a few. He is
extremely involved and a good guy.
He is all over campus and represents
the type of person this campus should
have. A mascot per-se.
Chancellor Moeser seems so
uptight about the racism on this cam
pus that he can’t see clearly. Earlier
this year, the student body was racist
because nobody said “hi” to one
another. Last year it was the black cul
ture section’s being on the back page
of the paper. I’m not saying that
racism does not exist on campus, but
people, such as the chancellor in this
case, make an ignorant assumption to
what is and isn’t racism. Cross-burn
ing: Yes. Obermeyer’s View: No.
Sorry, Chancellor.
The chancellor and the rest of the
university never would have men
tioned this issue (or lack of an issue) if
the person being mocked were
Caucasian rather than African
American. We have delved so deep
into believing everything is a racist
act that we don’t realize that poking
fun at a person does not constitute
racism.
I feel no apology is necessary to
Eddie Brown from the DN, Neil
Obermeyer or anyone who thought
the cartoon was rather amusing. With
so much else going on in the universi
ty, it is very hard to swallow that the
chancellor took time out of his busy
schedule to waste our time with this
letter.
I only hope that if I rub elbows
with someone of a minority tomor
row, the chancellor doesn’t breathe
down my neck for an apology. He’ll
run out of hot air.
Joseph Scharfbillig
sophomore
advertising
Two cartoons?
In response to. Chancellor
Moeser’s letter: He has proven his
ignorance once again! To say that
Obermeyer’s comic was racist is a
ridiculous accusation. Obermeyer
was simply pointing out that Eddie
Brown has become a “big man on
campus” as much as Herbie Husker
and Lil’ Red are. He represents much
of what the university stands for; his
presence is felt often and everywhere,
and I would think it pays a compli
ment to him. This is how I understood
the comic, and I am assuming
Obermeyer meant it the same way;
racism has nothing to do with it.
Being chancellor of the university
should involve maturity and under
standing and not allow for childish
judgments and ignorance concerning
students’ perceptions of publicly out
standing citizens, both within our
school and coming from outside (for
example, Tom Green).
He didn’t understand Tom Green’s
antics but criticized him anyway; he
didn’t understand Obermeyer’s car
toon, but he felt it necessary to ask for
a public apology from Obermeyer for
having an opinion, both public dis
plays of ignorance by our chancellor.
Perhaps we should have two
Obermeyer comics printed every day;
one for the students and one on the
level Moeser can understand.
Justin Jackson
junior
general studies i
Rana Smith ;
junior
biology