Page 6
Letters to the editor
No man hating
assumptions
In one carelessly written
column, Andy Festa has gone a
long way toward wiping out
people's good work to encourage
men to take women's studies
courses. We try to assure men
that in such classrooms at
Behrend they will find not man
hating assumptions, but careful
checks on stereotyping and
overgeneralizations about men.
Students tell me that my
women's studies courses are,
ironically, places where they
learn a great deal about the
difficulties of growing up male,
and about prejudices against
men. That's how I teach texts
and conversations about gender.
Festa knows this. Andy, I hate it
when you waste my time like
this, making me do damage
control. You do know better.
What were you thinking?
If anything like the dialogue
described in Andy's column had
taken place in his women's
studies classroom, he'd have a
legitimate gripe. He speaks
calmly and the female student
"screams". She hurls entirely
wild-eyed man-hating
accusations and he remains the
soul of sweet reason and
compromise. Since I am Andy's
women's studies professor, I am
the prof in question. He implies
that I encourage this atmosphere
in my classrooms. That's
nonsense, and Andy knows that
too.
The student(s) who serve as
models for Festa's parody female
adversary have never said
anything remotely like this to
Andy. Shc, or they, follow the
rules of decent classroom
interaction, which he sometimes
does not. Andy can be
overbearing, patronizing,
monopolizing, even uninten
tionally cruel. Occasionally,
after years of tolerating
Festaisms, her tone might betray
that she's weary. Far from being
attacked in my classrooms, Andy
has for many years been
endlessly supported, often
resulting in complaints by fellow
students that I permit him
classroom outrages, yet do not
allow others to return the serve.
And it's true. After six years of
this, I am insulted that he would
attack the very classes where he
has been protected and nurtured.
I hate that word, but it applies
here.
It's not that the scenario Andy
envisions doesn't take place; it
does -- but not in feminist
classrooms here, where we work
actively for the opposite, where
when something careless is
occasionally said, women
apologize to men, or men to
women, in a spirit of mutual
respect we've all worked hard to
maintain. We have indeed had
moments of gender tension --
and we have handled them well
and learned from them.
Andy's column was inspired
by the speaker I brought in last
week, a male writer who
described the kind of classroom
Andy portrayed ours to be. Festa
did not even mention that of the
two guest speaker events in his
women's studies class, one was
women writers -- and the other
was a male speaking about men's
issues. And this in a course on
women writers, where it would
be perfectly justified to exclude
male perspectives.
Women's studies should
indeed be gender studies. Festa
even takes credit for that idea,
which he got from me, and
which we are trying to enact in
the new minor offered here at
Behrend. Men should indeed be
welcome in women's studies
classes. They are welcome here
at Behrend.
I know Andy Festa wants to
contribute to our mutual
understandings of each other. In
this case, it's he who heated up
the gender war with an
unwarranted bushwhack. No
one in my class gets away with
generalizations like "Men are
jerks." But I am indeed saying
that Andy behaved like a jerk
last week. And Andy-- you
think women here have been
hard on you? You're graduating.
Oh, Lord, my dear, what are you
going to do when I'm not there to
protect you?
Dr. Diana Hume George
Professor of English and
Women's Studies
Misconception
not cleared up
I am taking a women's studies
class and I have taken a class on
women writers. Contrary to the
popular misconception, the
women that take and teach these
classes are not the bra-burning
anti-family-child-man-hating-
fema-Nazis that have men
cowering in desks as they cast
their braissiers into a bonfire and
proclaim with a blood curdling
scream that men are "the
Enemy." One of my classmates
pointed out "we defend men in
this class more than the people
that have not taken a class like
this do."
I understand the concept of
poetic license, but having Mr.
Festa's unnamed female
antagonist state that "...all bears
are dangerous, it's their nature,
just like men..." promotes the
misconception that feminists,
women who take women's
studies classes, and possibly all
women, hate men. What type of
woman is Mr. Festa portraying
when his antagonist says the
nasty words that he will not say?
Despite his artistic excuses, Mr.
Festa does nothing to clear the
misconception.
Mr. Festa does make some
good points. There has to be
more open handed
communication between women
and men. I agree with Mr. Festa
that women and men are not
equal in their views of life and
experiences. Women should
strive for legal, political and
economic equality.
Unfortunately, women cannot do
this on their own. This is a sad,
but unfortunately true fact. At
least that is how it is today, but
Opinion
things change.
I am one of six men in my
women's studies class. I do not
feel persecuted that I am made to
answer for what the men of the
past have done. I entered the
class with the hope of trying to
understand the "concepts" of
women and men better. There
are few things that affect men
and women differently. We are
more alike than some people
would like to admit.
Patrick Smith
7th Semester
GAS Major
Straight from the
heart
I am one of the founders of
Trigon, Behrend's Lesbian, Gay,
and Bisexual coalition. The
main goal I have hoped to
achieve when we first started to
form the framework of the
organization was to be able to
provide emotional support and
social acceptance to the lesbians,
gays, and bisexuals on this
campus. Thanks to SGA's recent
approval of our constitution, the
help and support of many
students, faculty, staff and our
advisor, Sue Daly, reaching that
goal is becoming a reality.
We are beginning to find our
way out of the closets of
Behrend College. I commend all
those who have had the courage
to contact us and the patience to
stick with us throughout the
semester.
My message to those of you
who remain behind closed doors
and to all who read this letter is
this: No matter what race,
religion, sex or sexual
orientation, we are human beings
and as human beings we all
deserve to be loved and
respected. In my book this is
one rule that has no exceptions.
Jennifer Lynn Walker
3rd Semester
English Major
Ignorant, angry,
little girl
Tarsha, you poor girl and I'll
emphasize the word "girl", so
tell me what black male dumped
you for a white woman? You
sound like a ignorant, angry,
little girl who was dumped.
I'm glad to see that all you
think white women have to offer
is blonde hair and blue eyes. If
you think that's all that black
men want from white women is
blonde hair and blue eyes, and as
you pointed out there are black
women who can accommodate
that, but then why would you
even want that black man if you
have to change for him. Glad to
see that you're going for
substance in a relationship and
not superficial things.
Also, I really like the comment
Angela Johnson made too (One
of the very few comments you
actually put a name next to. I
wonder who made the other
ones, if someone actually did
make them?) Anyway, how'd it
go, "Some black men aren't
strong enough to deal with a
strong black woman, so they go
to a white woman." Good
adjective use there: "strong"
black woman to just a white
woman. It's surprising that us
white women ever made it to this
college or for that matter that we
even still exist. Obviously some
black women aren't "strong"
enough to deal with interracial
relationships.
Another thing, I came to
Behrend for an education, not a
white or a black education, but
an education. By the way, do
you even realize how many
different cultures exist within the
white community? It's not just
one big culture. We all come
from different cultures, and I
mean all of us.
You are right though, there is a
lack of education, or should I say
communication? The problem
isn't with us white women or
black men etc. So stop pointing
your finger and start
communicating not only with
black men but also with white
women. For that matter every
other race, sex, and color,
something you obviously don't
do. I'll leave you with a quote
from En Vogue's song, Free
Your Mind:
"I might date another race or
Doesn't mean I don't like my
strong black brothers
Free your mind and the rest
will follow
Be color blind don't be so
shallow."
Mia Colabrese
4th Semester
International Political Science
Can we ever live
together?
When I read Tarsha Proctor's
article "No compromise, no sell
out", I wondered if there would
ever be a time when people of all
backgrounds could live together
in harmony.
I am of Caucasian and Native
American decent. Every person
in this country, not of wholly
English decent, has relatives,
who, in the recent past, have
been the objects of ridicule and
even violence. Different
European ethnic groups, like
many of my ancestors,
experienced discrimination, but
they stood tall and made positive
change, without giving up their
culture.
Tarsha says that all African-
Americans should live by
Malcolm X's "No compromise,
no sell out." What about Dr.
King? Didn't he say that
African-Americans should
cherish their culture and
broadcast it to all people by
becoming an equal part of the
American society? Isn't it more
of a sell out to deny African-
Americans the freedom to
choose by their heart, rather than
their skin color?
Black men, with white
girlfriends, are not weak. they
believe in their culture and are
comfortable enough with it to be
able to break free from racial
molds and choose with their
hearts and their own minds,
rather than be told what is and
what is not acceptable. They
have the strength to stand against
centuries of racial conflict and to
choose for themselves.
Thursday, December 10, 1992
Everyone should learn the
backgrounds of all the world's
many cultures, but no one would
be denied the freedom of choice
because of one. The days of
whites enslaving blacks is long
over, now it is time for them to
stand tall as part of American
society and to encourage both
traditional cultural families
families of mixed heritage, so
that every culture will be
understood by all through a
common understanding. My
Polish, English, German,
Scottish and Native American
heritages will always be a part of
me. And though some of my
ancestors were the objects of
jokes and others were not
Caucasian, I will always be
proud of them and glad that they
had the strength to follow their
hearts and not be stopped by
cultural barriers. If I were an
African-American male with a
Caucasian girlfriend, I would be
offended by what Tarsha said
and I would have every right to
be.
Mike Duminiak
3rd Semester
Biology Major
Problem finally
tackled
I am writing in regards to the
article entitled "No compromise,
no sell out". I would just like to
commend Miss Proctor on her
willingness to tackle a problem
that has plagued the African-
American community at Behrend
for years.
I am aware that there may be
some African-Americans as well
as some Caucasians who may
take offense to the subject matter
contained in this article, and to
them I say: The African
American community in
America is suffering
tremendously from the
degenerations of the family; to
us as a race, the lack of
education and knowledge of their
own history and ancestors. I feel
that it is articles such as these
that become the first steps in the
rebirth of the African-American
culture. I feel it is articles like
these, that begin the process of
education. Articles like these,
are the tools that begin to
moisten the thirsty lips for
knowledge.
In conclusion, Miss Proctor
deserves applause and respect for
her brilliant articulation of the
problem of interracial
relationships at Behrend. So as I
end this letter, I leave you with
the feelings of Malcolm X: Until
we as a Black race can come
together within our race, we can
never afford to go outside of that
race. Until we can deal with our
problems internally we have
nothing to offer to another race.
Kei S. Fuller
3rd Semester
Liberal Arts
My beautiful,
black race
While I am sitting here at my
computer thinking of how I am
going to , express all of my
feelings about my beautiful,
black, race and the many
responses I have heard over