Collegian
April 3, 1986
DONALD KAUL:
I'm beginning to think that
NAACP stands for the National
Assocation for the Abasement of
Colored People. What else is one
to make of theHollywood-Beverly
Hills branch of the NAACP pro-
testing the failure of "The Color
Purple" to win an Academy
Award this week?
The film, a story of black peo
ple in the rural South of the first
third of the century, was
nominated for 11 awards but won
none. This, the NAACP chapter
Student opinion: Behrend slights
student party habits
In order to clarify the relationship between alcohol
and social problems, it is necessary to put into proper
perspective the conditions under which both drinking
and social problems occur. The use of alcohol may
appear to be either a direct or remote contributing
factor to social problems. It is direct in such pro
blems as drunken driving, divorce, unemployment,
or in my case, affecting the social atmosphere at
Behrend.
I have visited numerous colleges throughout my
life already, and what I have seen is different than
that found at Behrend. Most colleges do not have
strict patterns or rules by which their students must
follow. I think it is a major concensus that they not
interfere unless of course there is some type of
casualty or serious incident that has occurred.
Behrend on the other hand, has roughly 2,200
students only. The regulations that the students
follow are therefore more heavily enforced. Simply
put, it is much easier for a student to get caught at
Behrend because of the ratio of students to RA's
(Resident Assistants) and police officers_ I am in no
way implying that this is wrong but do feel that
there is a certain amount of "lee-way" that the stu
dent should possess.
I'm going to try to explain the possible positive at
tributes about the alcohol-student problem. - In
"Alcohol Education for Classroom and Communi
ty," D. McCarthy states that, "An opportunity for
the necessary release from tension, cannot properly
be defined as a drinking problem." How this cor
relates with students here at Behrend is somewhat
obvious. Most of the parties here are simply a get
together of either a small or large group of students.
These students are at the party to release their ten
sions of the day or week by associating themselves
with their friends or other students. To obtain even
better atmosphere these parties usually distribute
said, was "not only an insult to
the talents of the wonderful artists
participating in this motion
picutre, but a direct slap in the
faces of Quincy Jones and Steven
Spielberg, two of the most
talented personalities ever to work
in this industry."
That's like the United Jewish
Appeal complaining because
"Triumph of the Will," an admir
ing documentary of Hitler's
Nuremberg rallies, never won an
award.
"The Color Purple" is not one
of the best movies of the year. It is
not one of the best movies of the
past 15 minutes. It is, in fact, a
perfectly dreadful movie--dull,
stupid, racist and false.
They made a big deal over the
fact that Spielberg wasn't even
nominated as best director. He's
lucky he wasn't arrested.
I know, a lot of people liked the
picture. They're wrong.
It is a film in the tradition of
Hollywood movies made by white
men about black people: "Birth
of a Nation," "Song of the
South," "Green Pastures"—but it
is way down on that list. It takes
us back to a time when blacks
were presented as a kind of comic,
some form of alcohol to those who attend. It seems
as though it is common for a student at college to
drink at times socially. Now what I'm trying to say is
that if handled properly, a party can have a great
positive effect not only on the student but on the col
lege as well. -A party many times will develop new
and stronger friendships between students. This in
turn, (in the case of Behrend) will allow things to
operate more smoothly. If friendships increase then
college life is effected positively. Is this not what the
administration and the students want?
I'm not trying to say that all parties are great: no
fighting, no drunkenness, and most of all no ac
cidents. There are at times a drunk-driving accident,
or some violent act associated with the alcohol. And
I know simply forbidding alcohol would alleviate
many of the problems. But let's also look at the
positive aspects that will be lost.
Social behavior, especially in college life, is af
fected both positively and negatively by alcohol.
There is no direct solution in what many consider a
problem. Is there not a way that both sides can be
satisfied? I feel that the responsibility should be left
to the student. I have never in my life seen anyone
drink because he or she didn't want to. If there is a
way that parties can be reasonably controlled, the
alcohol be kept to some form of minimum, and most
of all, accidents be lowered, then why can't we try it!
I was caught for having a party in my apartment
recently. You can say that I have learned my lesson
and I will not have any more at my place. But what I
have lost is also very valuable to me. I lost the
privilege of what I like to do most. The "privilege"
of making people laugh and have fun on Friday
nights.
Concerned student,
Mark K. Wuerthele
4th Semester, Operations Management
opinion 6
A doo-dah version of black history
sub-human species, loose in
morals and violent in manner, but
don't they smile pretty though?
It's got all the stock characters: an
Aunt Jemima, a Little Topsy, a
Steppenfetchit, a Simon Legree
(black version) and the obligatory
blues queen. Spielberg leaves no
cliche unturned to bring his vision
of the black experience before the
American public.
The film drew some controver
sy earlier because black males felt
they are unfairly represented in
the movie. And they are, unless
you think all black males are
brutish louts given to wife abuse,
rape and alcoholism. But the
black women don't come off
much better. Neither do white
people, for that matter. There's
hardly a true moment in the entire
film. I don't know when I've been
more offended by a movie and its
success.
Yes I do. It was "The
Deerhunter," that vastly praised
film of a decade or so ago that
dealt with the lives of Slavic
Americans in a grim Pennsylvania
factory town. It was set in post
Vietnam America and it portrayed
Slays as a simple-minded, rough-
and-tumble bunch who were
relatively content with their lives
if they could get drunk on
weekends, wreck cars and go out
and shoot a deer every once in a
while.
I happen to know something
about Slavic-Americans; I am
one. "The Deerhunter" had
about as much to do with us as
"The Color Purple" has to do
with blacks.
The problem, of course, was
that the film was made by Michael
Cimino, an Italian. That was the
way he thought Slays were, which
is his problem, Did they let
Roman Polanski make "The
Godfather"?
They shouldn't have let
Spielberg make "The Color Pur
ple," either. -
Blacks are under enormous
pressure these days. The image of
the black person is under a more
vicious attack today than at any
time in memory, and my memory
extends back before desegrega
tion. But we don't attack it out
NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
April 7-12, 1986
Monday, April 7 - 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
FREE use of copy machine - Students; onl
Tuesday, April 8 - 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Ed McCloskey speaking on "Student Hassles"
Library Conference Room
Wednesday, April 9 - 2:00 - 4:00 pm
FREE Refreshments
Trivia contest winner announced at 3:00 pm
library Conference Room
Thursday, April 10 - 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Dr. Brenda Eastman speakinir, on" Relationships -
Physical Attraction"
Library Conference Room
Friday, April 11 - 6:00 pm
Movie - St. Elmo's Fire
Library Conference Room
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Opinions expressed by the editors and staff of the Penn State-Behrend Collegian are not necessarily
those of the University Administration, faculty, or the student body.
front; we do it in code.
We say that college admission
standards for athletes have to be
raised. But the image produced by
the commendable goal is of black
athletes too dumb to be allowed in
college.
In this atmosphere, exaggerated
racial stereotyping is last thing we
need. Even less do we need
Spielberg's doo-dah version of
black history honored as a work
of art. What could the
Hollywood-Beverly Hills NAACP
types have been thinking of?
Spielberg" has been called the
modern Frank Capra, but he's
not. Ron Howard, the director of
gentle fantasies like "Splash" and
"Cocoon," comes closer to that.
Spielberg, the maker of such
grand entertainments as "Raiders
of the Lost Ark" and "E.T.," is
the modern Cecil B. deMille. He,
like the master, creates lavish
spectaculars that are fun to watch
and have no relation to reality.
Let-him stick to what he knows
best.