opinions
Who doesn't understand?
Unless you’re summit-smiling President
Reagan, it would be rather difficult to
misinterpret the remarks made by Chief of
Staff Donald Regan in reference to women
during an interview with the The Washing
ton Post Monday.
“They (women) are not . . . going to
understand (missile) throw-weights or
what is happening in Afghanistan or what is
happening in human rights. Some women
will, but most women believe me, your
readers for the most part if you took a poll
would rather read ■ the human interest
stuff of what happened,” Regan said.
Generalizations like this have made the
Reagan administration unpopular among
feminists, and rightly so., The chief of staff’s
comments are typical of the administra
tion’s attitude toward women, and reflect a
lack of education.
President Reagan fueled the fire by at
tempting to defend Regan with this
statement: “I don’t think he meant for it to
be interpreted in that way at all. He was
simply adding to that interest, that they had
an interest in children and a human touch.”
Children and a human touch? How sweet.
Women today are facing great challenges
■■ n tions, is a separate corporate insti
-<.!!;; Collegian ,M ° n ir ° m pe ™ siaiB
Friday, Nov. 22, 1985
©l9Bs.Collegian Inc.
Gail L. Johnson
Editor
The Daily Collegian’s editorial opin
ion is determined by its Board of
Opinion, with the editor holding
final responsibility. Opinions ex
pressed on the editorial pages are
not necessarily those of The Daily
Collegian, Collegian Inc. or The
Pennsylvania State University.
Collegian Inc., publishers of The
Daily Collegian and related publica-
More Items:
Since the urge to write coherently evades me, sit back and watch my mind fall to pieces
Item: Stereotyping individuals is a trav
esty! How can we be so damned insensi
tive? What gives us the right to slap labels
on our fellow humans?
I say this because last week, someone put
an “Inspected by 58” label on my forehead.
I really don’t like being labeled.
Item: Kudos to Jim Carroll, the Irish-
Catholic / ex-junky poet who wrote, “Life is
so easy when you’re pretty and 16 / Just
make sure that your underwear is clean.”
I’m an Irish-Catholic / ex-golfer column
ist. Am I a paradox or a hypocrite?
Item: For everyone who just has to know,
I get my ideas from a Salvation Army box in
the Acme parking lot. Satisfied?
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Letters Policy: The DaHy Collegian
encourages comments on news
coverage, editorial policy and Uni
versity affairs. Letters should be
typewritten, double-spaced, signed
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professionally and intellectually.
Statements like those expressed by the
chief of staff and the president show an
insulting, primitive view toward women,
and indicate a lack of support in the fight for
equality.
It is frightening that such regressive
sentiments are held by a group of men who
are controlling the welfare of this country.
It is even more frightening that they have
the nerve to openly express them.
It appears that the fight for equality will
be hindered by the current administration,
whose members seem to believe that wom
en should resume more traditional roles in
society
As former New York Congresswoman
Bella Abzug so aptly put it, Regan’s remark
was an insult to all women and was based on
men’s fear of sharing power with the other
sex.
“Its not true that women don’t care and
don’t know. Women know a lot more than
men want to concede,” she said.
Whether or not women or men understand
the issues facing the nation today, the time
has come for the leaders of this country to
face facts: the day of the “little woman” is
rapidly ending.
Item: I watched a faith-healer on TV last
Saturday. He would call a member of the
audience to the stage and place his hands on
the afflicted part of the person’s body. Why,
I saw him heal a man’s broken wrist!
I sat and wondered how he’d handle
someone with syphilis.
Item: Are women on campus dressing
like Madonna or observing Hindu holy
days? Is this the latest rage in Calcutta?
Item: I am not cynical. My underwear is
too tight. That’s all.
Item: Knee jerks of any political per
suasion infuriate me. Reasoning is a lost
art. Many of my friends are liberal; when I
state my oppostion to abortion, they treat
me like a Nazi on Donahue. Likewise, my
conservative friends call me a wimp for my
stand against nuclear arms.
Humanity is heading for the bargain bins
at Gee Bees.
Item: What’s the main difference be
tween a small-town Christian who knows
God exists and a big-city atheist who knows
there is no God?
About a hundred miles.
ters should include semester stand
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Item: All over the South Bronx, and
Monongahela way / Everybody’s gone ser
fin’, Serfin’ U.S.A.
Item: Writing is procreation; reading is
creation. You want to compliment me? Call
me a catalyst.
Item: Young men like to talk loud, and
they don’t care who hears them. It’s embar
rassing when my friends insult someone in
that person’s presence. They always say
they’re just being honest and call me a
hypocrite for chastising them. In my per
sonal life, I’d rather be a nice hypocrite
than an honest ass. People have enough
problems without overhearing my opinion
of them.
Item: Call me naive, but I think BDR
classes are beneficial to students later in
life, especially if they end up being game
show contestants.
Item: Over 20,000 people were killed in
Colombia last week by a gigantic mudslide.
None were Americans. Next item.
Item: I don’t see the point in disregarding
an entire religion over a few personal objec
tions. I’m not the type who throws away a
reader opinion
Volleyball needed tedi!<^rftawU, “ ,e, ” oMyin “”
A recently published memo from the office of the second, although the continuance of a varsity sport
Athletic Director of Penn State is bringing a highly should not be completely judged by how successful it is
successful era to an end. ( we don’t need the “win at all cost” mentality!), it
The Strategic Planning Committee of that office has cer tainly appears penny-wise but pound-foolish to slap
recommended that the Penn State men’s volleyball team pro g rams that obviously have been successsful.
TE23£gsS2s sx jasnawfiMsas
fas teen a leader in the sport for budgets
fattfSTs stm S colchT S Seam woffS ™dfee
s„sr, v s b P a i A s‘Se rss
school on the east coast to host the NCAA national opportunity to solve the problem,
championships and the team that year responded by lam sure that the coaches are not unaware of the
being the first and only east coast team to get to the finals, financial difficulties and lam also sure that given their
This year Penn State is once again the site of the NCAA collective brains, there are some other alternatives to
Championships and the team is also a potential national cutting back grants-in-aid. For example, what about the
champion. This year’s Nittany Lions are a young team travel budgets? Let the teams have the choice of keeping
with nine .of 14 players being either sophomores or grants-in-aid but losing their flexibility for longer travels,
freshmen. The team not only promises great excitement j hope in the w j s d o m of the people who make decisions
this year, but also for many years to come. about athletic team funding that they will see that
However, with the prospect of termination hanging tampering with grants-in-aid is the wrong strategy. If,
over their heads, how can they be expected to perform to after cu tting expenses in all other possible ways, there
their fullest potential? What is to become of these great stjl | needs to be mo re cuts then so be it. But until evidence
athletes? What is to become of all of the future stars in our js pro d U ced that other cost cutting methods have been
Pennsylvania high schools? use d ) i think the present approach is counterproductive.
Finally, what is to become of this great sport which D enn js Roberts, associate professor of educational
brought this country a gold medal in the last Olympics? psychology
Penn State needs men’s volleyball now and in the future! Nov. 18
Eric Shope, assistant coach, PSU men’s volleyball
Nov. 13 _
Too soon
isvfiwa I’m writing about Christmas too soon. It’s upsetting to
VsOUnlerpiUUUUlive see our beloved'stores in the U.S.A. selling Christmas
The recent news from the Athletic Department con- items so soon just for the sake of money. Christmas is the
cerning the cuts in grants-in-aid to a number of varsity most selling time of the year, but what is
sports programs is distressing in several ways. Christmas is Jesus Christ coming to earth to seek and to
First one gets the distinct impression from the com- save that which was lost. I hope and pray that our eyes
ments of several of the coaches that none of them were will open up and we will see the true meaning of
even brought into the discussions about financial cut- Christmas
backs. It sounds like the coaches found out about these
decisions from a letter in their mailboxes without even
Big Mac because they forgot to remove the
pickles.
Item: Writing in a smooth, professional
style has nothing to do with talent. The
backs of cereal boxes are well-written. I’m
just as interested by the ingredients of
Cocoa Puffs as by a smooth piece of writing.
Anyone can learn to do that. Behind every
piece of great writing is a person who
squeezes a tube of toothpaste at the middle.
Item: Latest fashion craze on campus
wearing underwear on the outside of your
clothes. Next year, it will be turning them
inside-out.
Item: Paranoia is a bed-wetting child
with his first electric blanket; it is also a
claustrophobic in a Fotomat booth.
Item: Some readers complain that I write
about religion too much. What can I say?
I’m just a kooky guy with a vision. I’ve
reached a point in my life where watching
the morning sky for an hour gets me off
more than any drug ever could. I don’t take
the sky for granted anymore, but I don’t
necessarily want answers from it. Life is
longer than we’re lead to believe; no one
does it alone.
The Daily Collegian
Friday, Nov. 22, 1985
Is that suitably vague? Then try this on
for size: a spiritual quest is like a taco
making it is half the fun.
Item: False humility is worse than true
vanity.
Item: Birth of a Nation. Citizen Kane.
Casablanca. Death Wish 3. Mark my words.
Item: Bar maids in State College and
proctologists have much in common.
Item: One of my friends is certain that
one day Christianity will be absolutely justi
fied by science. “Pish,” I fumed, “it will be
absolutely justified by physical education.”
Divine Aerobics. Dig it.
Item: Being in the public eye is a strange
experience. Attractive nubiles I don’t even
know throw themselves on me. (My job is so
tough!) I’ve never been a sexual object, and
I’ll never try out a few linking verbs with
the subjects.
Sometimes I wish I weren’t so small-town
Catholic.
William S. Repsher is a senior majoring m
English and a columnist for The Daily
Collegian. His column appears every Fri
day.
Garry Fischer
Nov. 8
■ ■
opinions
Look deeper
On Christian Responsibility:
I am disturbed and saddened by
Mark Parrish’s letter on Wednesday,
Nov. 4, concerning what he perceives
as John Orr’s “antagonism, bitter
ness, and hatred towards God.”
I am disturbed because Mr. Par
rish may have overlooked John’s
sensitive column on pain and vulnera
bility last week (“Feet in the Door”),
and is still remembering Orr’s very
first column this semester (which
bothered me; too).
If anything, Mike, there may.be
more in Bill Repsher’s wildly inven
tive columns for you to fling verses of
condemnation at.
More importantly, I am saddened
because you feel it is your right or
prerogative as a Christian to identify
evil and shun it publically in such a
self-righteous way.
I am reminded of a preacher out
side of Willard Building some weeks
ago, standing on a platform with a
cross, proclaiming the “fact” that he
was the only one there who would
admit his sinfulness.
I realize that there is a strong
element of judgment in what I am
saying, but my sadness over this
letter comes from my being a Chris
tian who realized almost too late that
“be ye not of this world” does not
mean self-elevation through
judgment of others.
I do not agree with everything John
says, and if I felt less responsible
about conscientious writing, I would
do my best to blow Michael Moyer out
of this paper, but we are not called as
people (Christians or not) to respond
with only anger.
As I feel John Orr did last week, I
believe we are to respond sensitively
and deeply to the issues that touch us
all.
It is ironic that John’s article was
full of a Christian love and sensitivity
that a Christian like Mark Parrish
cannot see.
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As a writing teacher, I might have
been satisfied had Mr. Parrish at
least supported his judgment with
evidence from John’s articles.
The point I am trying to make to
my students these days about argu
ment is that balanced argument (pro
and con) can only help an argument
because it demonstrates not only
fairness, but broadminded responsi
bility.
But I am afraid that the sad charac
teristic of many Christian responses
to society are of the variety we hear
from the steps of Willard.
Christians will not, God willing,
always be a minority in this world,
but until then we must not alienate
ourselves with unloving intolerance
from a world we are called to serve,
humbly.
David Swain, graduate-English
Nov. 21
PSU heart
Life expectancy has increased tre
mendously in the last 75 years. This is
due to the technological advances in
medicine including the application of
electronics to medicine.
PSU’s experimental pneumatic
heart, is an example of the role of
electronics in medicine.
The heart enabled the patient, An
thony Mandia, to sit up in bed. This
was because the Penn State heart
automatically adjusted to the in
creased blood flow demands.
A major problem with the other
artificial hearts was the obstruction
of the blood vessels going in and out of
the heart. However, the PSU heart
did not cause any blood clotting.
Even though Mandia died, the
pneumatic heart must be considered
a success. I believe this and similar
accomplishments will eventually let
artificial heart patients lead normal
lives.
Robin Watts, freshman-liberal arts
Nov. 21
Ron and me:
Two dreamers as
And those things do best please me
That befall preposterously.
Puck, from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer
Night’s Dream
'W 4.
■ >
I think that if I have one personality trait that I
can say I’m proud of, it’s my ability to laugh at
myself. And believe me, I’ve had lots of practice.
In my 22-and-a-half years, I’ve dug many holes of
embarrassment from which the only escape was
to blush and climb my way out on a ladder of
laughter.
Laughter saved me nine years ago when I
ripped the seat of my pants in front of 35 other
pubescent eighth-graders, and laughter saved
me a few weeks ago when I tripped up the stairs
to the dining hall. I befell preposterously, indeed.
And all of that practice has paid off. I don’t
even mind being laughed at by other people now,
A few weeks ago, I got caught in an ersatz
typhoon, and by the time I made it from the
Greyhound station to my home in East Halls, I
looked like a 6-foot-2, 165-pound sponge. When I
finally found shelter from the downpour, I was
spotted by a strange woman who found it impos
sible to keep from laughing. In fact, I think she
would have had a better chance holding back a
sneeze.
I must admit that I was a humorous sight, with
water droplets running down the length of my
nose, and my pants making those squishing
noises with each step I took. But hey, it was that
kind of embarrassment that made Gene Kelly
rich and famous. If only I could dance.
The key to success, then, is not what you know,
nor is it who you know. It’s not even having
enough money to buy success. Though I can’t
Close as John-Boy and his grandpa
deny that these are valuable assets, the key to
success is possessing the ability to laugh at
yourself.
Let’s look at one of the most successful men in
the world, a man who has more to laugh at in
himself than even I. Let’s look at a man with
whom I feel an almost familial bond. Let’s look at
our president, Ron Reagan. The man, like me, is
laughed at all the time.
I feel almost as close to Ron as John-Boy
Walton felt to his grandpa. And it’s all because
Ron and I both know what it’s like to be laughed
at. People laugh at me because I’m an idealist
and an optimist. They tell me that nothing and no
one can change what is, so accept it. And then
they laugh. “You’re a dreamer,” they say.
I take it as a compliment. “Just look at our
president,” I reply. “He’s the biggest dreamer
around and it got him a big white house to live in
for a while. He dreams of balancing a trillion
dollar budget now that’s dreaming.” I can
really identify with that kind of thinking.
Ron and I have some minor differences, of
course. But those differences serve as reminders
that he and I are only human. We each know that
we have physical limitations, but that our imagi
nations are limitless. Ron and I both try to
imagine a world living in peace, but our methods
of imagination and reason sometimes differ
slightly.
I believe the world can achieve peace in a
simple way with self-awareness, communica
tion, and mutual respect. On the other hand, Ron,
being the enigmatic thinker and ultra-dreamer
that he is, believes that peace must be achieved
by threatening these human aspects with high
tech weapons and less-than-completely-honest
international diplomacy.
But it’s a complex world maybe Ron is doing
something right by trying to achieve peace in
such a complex, confusing and paradoxical way.
Maybe there really is a method to his apparent
madness.
And he’s certainly not alone in his thinking.
There are men all over the world who have
achieved similar personal success based on the
belief that peace needs to be guarded by missiles
that can turn the planet Earth into an ashtray on
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The Daily Collegian Friday, Nov. 22, 1985—11
the coffee table of the universe. You’ve got to
admire those guys for what they’ve accom
plished. I mean,-1 know that I certainly never
would have devised such a unique solution to
finding world peace. I guess I think too simplisti
cally for this world of complexity.
But let’s get back to Mr. Reagan the man is
amazing. Look at what he has accomplished as
an individual. He’s in his second term as presi
dent of the most powerful and influential capital
ist country in the world, he was the governor of
California for eons, and he has absolutely no
qualifications to have held either position. Un
less, of course, his tenure as president of the
Screen Actors’ Guild provided him with a knowl
edge of economics, law, and foreign policy.
But this is America, remember the Land of
Opportunity. In what other country can you go to
a supermarket and choose between 20 different
kinds of potato chips? In what other country can
you catch up on the day’s sports activities at any
time and watch music videos 24 hours a day, if
you so desire? What other country serves the
interests of its people better than the United
States? What other country allows so many
divergent opinions to be expressed?
I am truly grateful to this country for providing
me with the opportunity to earn a quality educa
tion and for creating a standard of living that no
other country can claim to have. And I’m sure
that Ron Reagan is grateful to this country for
the same reasons. That’s just another reason
why I feel so close to the man.
He has reached the pinnacle of success and
power in everything he has done. And it is his
ability to laugh at himself that got him where he
is today. I’m willing to bet that, right now, Ron is
sitting in that oblong office of his, with his hands
cupped behind his head, his feet on his desk, and
his dog Lucky by his side, and he’s thinking about
those embarrassing days when he starred in B
movies opposite Bonzo, the chimp . . . and now
he’s the president.
I’ll bet he’s having a good laugh. I know I am.
John Brodeur is a senior majoring in English and
a columnist for The Daily Collegian.