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— LION'S EYE —
March, 1991
OPINION
Editorial:
Negative Patriotism Hurts!
by Jennifer Darr
The war is in full swing now and most of us have decided if we’re against it or for
it. We're American and we have that right. Unfortunately, some people have
become negatively patriotic. Unlike regular patriotism, negative patriotism is
counterproductive. From it stems more racial and ethnic predjudice than existed
before.
Around Christmas time last year (before the war even started) I was walking
through the parking lot of the Springfield mall and two young men in a car almost hit
a woman who was driving her car. It was obvious that the young man driving the car
wasn’t looking where he was going, but yet he felt the need to scream out his
window “GO BACK TO IRAQ!!!” Just because the woman’s skin was a little darker
than his own.
A couple of weeks ago, I was driving home from school the way I usually take
but something looked different this time. The bar that usually has something like
“Monday Night Football, Free Food and Beer” on its sign out front had changed the
message. The new message reads “NUKE EM’”. I wanted to pull into that bar and
start screaming at the person who came up with that slogan. I could have gone on
for hours about how nuclear weapons don’t solve every problem in the world, and
how innocent people and children would die horrible deaths if we just “nuked em’”.
And how about the historical signifigance of Iraq? Don’t forget the environment. A
nuclear bomb would do wonders for our environment. Oh yes, and I wouldn’t leave
out the part about how if America fired a nuclear weapon there is a good chance that
one just might get fired back at us. But, fortunately, my better judgement prevailed
and I realized that it would do no good.
Some radio stations are even jumping on the bandwagon. Have you ever heard
the “Open Letter to Saddam Hussein” on Q102? If you haven’t, let me give you a
couple quotes from it. First, they start out by emphasizing that America is a free
country and how we are “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. Then they
go on to say, “ So, Mr. Saddam, you better get out of Kuwait or we’re gonna kick
your Iraqi ass!” Who's going to kick Saddam’s ass? Surely not the people who
work at the radio station. Furthermore, it’s not Saddam Hussein that is actually
being hurt. It is the citizens of Iraq and the Iraqi military that our military is hurting.
That broadcast, in my opinion, is something that is childish and it only gives narrow-
minded people an excuse to behave the way they do. It amazes me that the General
Manager or the Program Director at Q102 approved that piece of junk they call a
broadcast. :
Our country is supposed to be open to all people, no matter what their race or
religion. But, unfortunately we have certain people that call themselves Americans
when in actuality, they show no characteristics of what America is based on. At the
beginning of World War II in the 1940’s, in California, the Federal Government of
the United States took Japanese-Americans out of their homes and put them in camps
out of fear that they were spies. After stripping these Americans of their posses-
sions, and yanking them out of their homes and jobs, the government just “let them
go” when the war ended Would the American people let that happen today? I
wonder. Did the government consider that “patriotism” then? I think support is in
order for the troops that are fighting over there now, but let's all try to remember that
the purpose of this war is to liberate Kuwait, not to kill as many Iraqis as we can.
THE LION’S EYE
March, 1991
Vol. XXII, No.7 The Pennsylvania State University
Delaware County Campus
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jennifer Darr
NEWS EDITOR
Angela Deal
PRODUCTION EDITOR
David Rhoades
OPINION/REVIEW EDITOR
Vi Ong
STAFF REPORTERS
Pat McAdams
David Clements, Jr.
Robert Cunningham
Chuck Spector
Frances Callahan
Kevin Rockwell
- PHOTOGRAPHERS
Patrick Kim David Rhoades
Diana Miceri
ART WORK
Robert Cunningham Angela Deal Vi Ong
ADVISORS
Barbara Daniel John Terrell
The LION’S EYE is published Monthly during the academic year by the
students of the Delaware County Campus.
Submissions are welcome from all students, faculty and staff.
Material must be typed, double spaced, and submitted in the LION'S EYE
mailbox located in room 115 main building.
Letters, articles and cartoons represent only the views of their authors.
Advertisements do not necessarily reflect editorial opinion.
THE LION’S EYE regrets it cannot guarantee the return of any material submitted.
All submissions are subject to editing.
5 ort Support
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‘New
THE
FRONT
DESK
by Ed Tomezsko
Campus Executive Officer
(4
by Ed Tomezsko
A few days ago, someone said to me, “Did you know that so-and-so wasn’t a
good student in high school?” I answered, “No, I didn’t know that, but then high
school doesn’t make much difference in college.” “Really?” someone responded.
“Really!” said I.
In the book, and forgive the PC language error, The Seasons of a Man's Life by
Daniel Levinson, you will find the idea the people have periods of their lives which
are stable and which are transitional. The young adult transition usually shows up in
your life about the age of eighteen and there are other transitions, spaced about every
seven years, during which people find themselves changing personally, spiritually,
and/or professionally. When I first read this, it really killed me to discover that I was
so “predictable.” We all like to believe that we are unique and, in a curious, way we
are. We are predictably unique.
The Dean’s List is published by all colleges and universities every semester to
identify those students who have achieved academic excellence. I made the dean’s
list in the first semester of my freshman year and in the last semester of my senior
year. I will not tell you on what lists I was in between.
The Dean’s List is a benchmark of progress in the learning cycle. The Dean’s
List is a source of institutional pride because it is “our” students doing well. Itis a
source of personal pride because “I” am doing well. It means simply you are a good
student. In Penn State’s case, your semester grade point is between 3.50 and 4.00 -
more A’s than B’s. You can read the list of these people for the fall semester on
page two.
Here's the point, “so-and-so” is in this dean’s list and “someone” is proud of that.
During these life transitions, people change by sometimes changing environments.
When you come from your high school, from your professional life, or from your
personal life into a college, very few people know who you are, and in this new envi-
ronment you are free to be someone completely different. You can take your
strengths and your weaknesses and build them into something better. The purpose of
the University is to help that unique you be better. Congratulations to “so-and-so”
and to “someone”, both on the list, and to all of the others on the Dean’s List: ‘Penn
State’s best.
Letter to the Editor
She said thai the BSL was not prepared
to have them as “guests”.
Look at that for a moment. Two key
words: “prepared” and “guests”. I
thought that the BSL offered an open
Dr. King had a dream. David
Clements Jr. quoted it perfectly in the
February issue of the Lion’s Eye:
“...(King) had a vision that little black
boys and girls would be able to join
hands with little white boys and girls as
sisters and brothers”. I wish Dr. King
were here. I wish I could ask him if the
above quote excluded Black Student
League meetings. Maybe Mr. Clements
Jr. can answer that for me.
Early in January of this year, Chuck
McCarthy and Rich Schaffer, both Penn
State student government officials,
attended a BSL meeting to see how they
were progressing and to show support.
(NOTE: Chuck McCarthy and Rich
Schaffer are white). Instead of a
welcome feeling, they felt quite out of
place as Beverly Lindsey, faculty
advisor of the BSL, asked them to leave.
invitation to all people, regardless of
race. What had to be “prepared”? Were
they going to use different wording in
the case that someone of another color
were to attend?
In an interview with Chuck
McCarthy, he said, “ I do anything to
help anyone of my fellow students out,
no matter the situation, and when I don’t
have all the facts, then I can’t give my
best effort in lending a hand.” He also
felt that this was a stab in the back. He
went to help out and instead was sent
away minutes after he walked through
the door.
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