Thursday, November 7, 1991
American Pictures shows
darker side of America...
(Continued from page 1)
America."
During his five-year journey
Holdt lived with over 400
families, hiked 118 miles, sold
plasma twice a week to buy film,
worked in southern slave camps,
attended a Ku Klux Klan
meeting, followed criminals
during muggings and robberies,
and spent time with both the
poorest and richest in America.
By the time he returned to
Denmark, 12 of the Americans he
met had been murdered. As of
Tuesday, 22 of his friends had
been murdured, thrown in jail or
disappeared.
Holdt's show deals with "a
side of America that many people
would rather not see; that is, the
underclass," he said. "The people
you see here arc nowhere near the
social ladder; they can't even
think about climbing up and out
of poverty."
Holdt said much of the pain
and suffering in America is
caused by prejudice and racism.
"The problem is prejudice is
instilled in us before we can deal
with it."
He said children are often
given prejudicial beliefs long
before they have the intellectual
ability to understand what those
beliefs mean. Doors being locked
while travelling through a bad
neghborhood, a mother pulling
her child just a little closer when
a black or Hispanic walks by on
a bus -- these arc all signals,
according to Holdt, which instill
prejudice in people. "Racism," he
said, "comes in a form of love."
The worst part, according to
Holds, is that racism and
prejudice is a vicious circle which
reinforces itself on both sides.
Phones...
(Continued from page 1)
academic buildings and one near
the parking lot near the
apartments. The fourth location
has not been specified, but
Tropezar mentioned another
possibility is somewhere near
Dobbins Hall.
An advantage of the phone
system would be a quicker
response time in an emergency
situation.
Tropezar said "because
Behrend is getting larger and
larger it (the emergency phone
network) will be an asset to the
school as well as the student's
safety."
WIDIPA
At the moment, Holdt is
touring the country with his
show and updating the pictures in
it. Along with American
Pictures, he also holds
workshops with sociologists
about racism and prejudice.
Eventually, Holdt says he'll
hit the road again with his
Canon.
"From time to time I need to
get back out there and take in
more of America. That's my
inspiration for continuing the
tour. America faces tough times
ahead, but every time I go out I
3e,C hope for a better future."
Whites are given beliefs at
early ages and what they see later
on tends, in many people, to
reinforce those beliefs," Holdt
said. "Whites see blacks and other
minorities unemployed, on
welfare and not doing as well as
they could in school and the
workplace and assume it's them."
On the other hand, he said
blacks and other minorities tend
to internalize racism, blaming
themselves for their problems.
"This internal guilt; a
dialogue with themselves where
blame is placed on themselves for
their predicament," said Holdt.
He compared the
internalization of racism in black
children to that of a frog in the
bottom of a well.
"When the frog looks up at
the sky it's only as big as the
well opening, so he believes
that's how big the sky is -- and it
just isn't true.
"That's what happens with
black children. They believe,
through the views of society, that
they're not supposed to do well in
school -- and that isn't true
either."
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Unfortunately, blacks and
other minorities don't have the
social power to change their
position, as they have to go to
whites to get ahead, according to
Holdt. "That's racism: prejudice
with the social power to enforce
itself," he said.
He also presented frightening
statistics about American society:
•Today, more people arc
behind bars in America than any
other country in the world in
the entire history of man.
• By the year 2000, 70 percent
of black men will be
unemployed.
• By the year 2050, one-half
of the American population will
be minorities.
"If the whole boat (society) is
sinking, than we're all going
down; whether we're poor and
struggling in the ghetto, or have
a college degree and living in the
suburbs to 'be safe' from the
ghetto," Holdt said.
So how do we stop this
vicious cycle of racism and
prejudice?
"There isn't an easy answer,"
said Holdt. "I conduct a three
hour workshop on racism, which
merely opens people up to their
prejudice sides. It's a far more
complex thing to end racism."
He noted that much of the
pain and racism in America is
started in childhood and grows
from there. "When people are in
pain, they become dangerous.
When there is no pain they are at
peace with society. The goal of
American Pictures is to try to get
more people to be at peace with
themselves."
Nation
Pennsylvania -- Harris Wofford (D) was
ele,cted Tuesday night to fill Pennsylvania's
empty senate seat, beating former Attorney
General Dick Thornburgh (R) with 56
percent of the vote. "I think I'm lucky to be
the messenger of a message that was there,"
Wofford said. "People want action from
Washington to help working families. This
was a time for action: I want to go down
there as an agent of action and change."
Thornburgh, who received 44 percent of
the vote, said the loss was "a reversal, but
not a defeat." The election was held to fill
the seat left by Senator John Heinz's death
in April.
Washington -- The Senate voted to
confirm Robert Gates to head the Central
Intelligence Agency on Tuesday after one of
the most long and in-depth confirmation
hearings in Senate history. Gates was
confirmed despite Democratic questions
about his involvement in the Iran-Contra
scandal. He was confirmed with a 64 to 31
vote.
Washington -- Hoping to find common
ground over abortion, President Bush sent a
letter to Congress saying he "could be
flexible on the question and could agree to
allow (abortion) counseling under some
conditions." Some House members, on the
other hand, say the President has already
defeated one compromise and warn they
have the votes to defeat a presidential veto
of the House's bill.
Washington -- The Postal Service
governors voted to keep postal rates at their
current prices. But Postmaster General
Anthony Frank said holding the line now
means a rate increase as much as five cents
would probably occur a year earlier, in 1994
instead of 1995. Frank said keeping the
price of a first class stamp at 29 cents will
cost the post office about $BOO million
annually.
Los Angeles -- Fred Mac Murray, father of
Rob, Chip and Ernie on the second longest
running show in television history, "My
Three Sons," died Tuesday of pneumonia. He
was 83. Along with his role as Steve Douglas,
Mac Murray starred in several Walt Disney
films such AS "Son of Flubber," "The Shaggy
Dog" and• "The Happiest "
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