vol_9_no_4 by Michigan Review

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Volume 9, Number 4

December 1990

LSA's Road to Insanity by David J. Powell

When Edie Goldenberg became Dean of the College of Uterature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), she had an agenda. In an October 1989 interview with the Reuitw, conducted one month after she took her job as dean, Goldenberg already had big plans to investigate what she called the "undergraduate experience." So she fonned a committee. "TItis committee represents, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive review of the undergraduate experience that has ever taken place," she said. ConSisting of nine members selected last fall, the Planning Committee on the Undergraduate Experience and its support staff, who represent the student body and each of the CoOege's divisions, were commissioned to review the state of undergraduate education at the University of Michigan

and to design proposals for its improvement. As Dean Goldenberg explains in the interview: "I see this as a multiyear, long-term process to take a look at undergraduate education and build ronsensus around changes that may be recommended. This includes not just what goes on in the classroom, but also the intellectual aspects of residence hall life, the intellectual activities out-

tern." The committee's report, "A Michigan Education: The Challenges of Undergraduate Education at the University of Michigan," identifies three areas of concern: the d windUng enrollment in the sciences and mathematics, the chief concern of those who worry that the U.S. will not be technolOgically competitive in the roming century; students' lack of understanding and

According to the report, one science professor commented, "Every minute I spend in an undergraduate classroom is costing me money and prestige." side the classroom, lectures, and other things that go on campus, such as the advising and counselling sys-

sensitivity towards non-Western peoples, their cultures, and with minorities in our own society; and defi-

Ann Arbor Rent Control Freaks by Jeff Muir

When most people think of student activism, certain images and ideas probably come to mind: the 19605, protesting war, and fighting for righteous causes. There is no doubt that student activism has at times brought attention to worthy causes. But there are instances, right here in Ann Arbor, where student activism does much more harm than good. In my last article ('The Pot Law and Students," November 1990) I showed that were it not for student influence, the de-criminalization of marijuana would never have taken place in Ann Arbor. I also showed that marijuana use has increased by area youths since de-criminalization, and

that according to experts, the potency of the marijuana available today has increased nearly twenty- fold since that of the early 1970s. Thus, the student activism that helped de-criminalize marijuana in Ann Arbor actually hanned many of the city's residents. A similarly student-inspired controversy surrounds rent control. This issue has entered into public debate several times, and is often associated with homelessness and the Downtown Development Authority's (DDA, a quasi-govemmental agency) allocation of funds for "beautification" projects and parking structures, instead of building shelters for the

homeless or more units of low- income housing. Rent control measures have come before the voters of Ann Arbor three times. The Human Rights Party (HRP), a short-lived party dominated by U-M students, gained two seats on the city council in the 1972 election. In 1974 the HRP placed on the ballot a proposal to regulate Ann Arbor's rents. The measure lost 18,208 to 12,878. Resurrected in 1975, it again lost overwhelmingly, 19,346 to 10,348.ln 1988, the issue arose once more, only to lose 16,652 to 8,015. Altruistic student groups and publications have attempted to overcome P/~e

See Page 12

ciencies in analytic thinking and writing, everyone's concern lest the U-M fall too far behind such "peer" institutions as Harvard and Dartmouth. The committee made several proposals to address these shortCOmings. The first of these is the formation of a pre-concentration undergraduate college, the Atheneum, to increase faculty-5tudent interaction both in the classroom and out. "The Atheneum is a simple idea capable of accommodating any number of educational goals," writes committee chairman Robert Weisbuch in a memo issued to student commi ttee members. "Its simplicity, its encompassing totality, and its attractiveness to students and faculty alike are its great strengths. It can serve most immediately as a symbol that this is one student body, one College, divisible but united in the act of learning." Cozy symbolism aside, there are serious doubts among both faculty and students as to whether it will be possible to attract faculty members to the new program's lower paying positions. According to the report, one sci-

Please See Page 11

Inside Gender Inclusive Language Pro/Con 6 Interview with Russell Kirk

Vandermeer: The Old Grey One 10

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 2

Serpent's Tooth /II think we have to start discussing other tactics, which include assassination, property destruction, things such as breaking windows," says Michael Petrelis of ACf-UP's Washington, DC chapter, according to the Detroit News. Since Review staffers are renowned homophobes, dedicated to the spread of anti-gay hysteria, we have taken a number of precautionary measures to protect ourselves from this peaceful, fun-loving advocacy group's Ann Arbor chapter. First, we always wear bullet-proof vests. Second, we have reinforced the windows in our MSAallocated office space. Third, we have appeared to split into two ranting and raving factions like a bunch of eightyear-olds, each claiming to be the teal

Michigan Review. While researching the U-M's enrollment percentages for this semester, we uncovered a startling example of institutionalized prejudice: Eden-Americans compose only 28% of the student body, while Pangaean-Americans mak~up 72%. Considering that most students neither believe in silly, outdated Judeo-Christian superstitions nor are able to locate Pangaea on a world map, this is an outrage! All students should be expelled and proper quotas maintained. Next month we will continue our quest to discover the proper ingredients for True Diversity and report on how the various descendents of the 12 tribes of Israel fare in this environment of seething, bloodcurdlin&~n,~ns,jtivity.

"I want Bush not to have his money, I want Rockefeller not to have his money, I want Trump not to have his money, 'cause they don't deserve it," said Larry Fox of the Homeless Action Committee (HAC) in the November 13th edition of the Daily. This of course leads to the question - who does deserve it? Judging from HAC'sactivities, we can safely say that Larry believesthat he and HAC deserve it. That way he can give it to the one segment of society that produces nothing but urin~reeking alleys. There's a word for types like you, Larry: "parasite." Quit whining. Get a job. Make money the moral way - earn it. Don't steal from those who do.

Special thanks to Ted Turner and CNN

for reportedly bringing food to the sitin buffoons in the Dude's office. But then again, wha~ can you expect from a man who dates "Hanoi Jane?" We just hope they served Domino's pizzas and Folgerscoffee, with perhaps a side dish of California table grapes.

In retrospect, even if the MSA-sponsored deputization craze turns out to be wholly inefficacious, remember, it's the thought that counts. Did someone say thought?

During a discussion on race and discrimination, biology professor John Vandermeer made the following odious statemen t: "To say that discrimination works both ways is like saying that a slave who hates his white master is a racist!" During the same d~atribe he also said that the U-M was categorically and undeniably "a racist institution!/I And you thought that only confused, disturbed students could say such ridiculous and block-headed things! For shame.

back to Junior High. Are you still upset that we refused your application for Review Mascot?

Thanks to a secret benefacror from somewhere deep within the U-M administration, the Review recently received an "Interoffice Memorandum" concerning "Communications Related to Sexual Orientation." In this enlightening document, we learn that " 'Sexual Orientation' is the preferred term when referring to homosexuality, bisexuality, or heterosexuality. The term 'sexual preference' implies choice, which is incorrect." Furthermore, "Many lesbians and gay men have children, either from previous marriages or within sam~sex relationships." Lovely, except that if homosexuals have children from previous marriages, then don't some of them actively exercise sexual preference? Also worthy of note, regarding children and sam~sex relationships: unless our mothers lied to us, we weren't aware of that possibility existing.

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW The Cam pus Affairs Journal of the University of Michigan Editor-in-Chief John J. Miller Publisher Carey Brian Meadors Executive Editors Adam DeVore' Brian Jendryka Mark Tulkki Assistant Editors Rahul Banta, Oifton Gault, Joseph Klein French Correspondent Karen Brinkman Production Manager Ruth Armstrong Personnel Manager Vince Wilk

The Office of Minority Affairs wants to change its name, reports the Daily, and is considering terms like "multicultural" and "multi-ethnic" to replace the word "minority," which some people feel contains negative connotations. Regardless of its name, however, we imagine the office will continue to serve only those students of acceptable culture and correct ethnicity. Then again, white students have no culture and no ethnicity, so this whole debate doesn't really matter. The struggle continues. "Given ~nough time with a typewriter, a monkey will eventually wri te Hamlet," a wise man once remarked. Our question: How long will it take Daily Weekend Magazine columnist Phil "B1athermaster" Cohen to write something intelligible? Our apologies to animal rights activists - we didn't mean to imply that monkeys are stupid.

In a recen t blathering of his own, Dave Barry wanna-be Jonathon Chait chastized theReviewforbeingjusta weebit too CEREBRAL for him. Please, JonBoy, mocking intelligence is a throw-

During a recent MSA meeting, President Jennifer Van Valey chastized a student for saying that a previous job of his had entailed "supervising six men," instead of saying "six workers," or "six people." Shocked at Miss Van Valey's pr~sumptuousness for assuming him to be one of those terrible sexist types, he explained that all six workers were, in fact, men. "We will discuss this after the meeting, but I would prefer you say 'people' or 'homo sapiens'." she replied. Here we must side with Van Valey. This man needs a sensitivity course - no, that's too good for him - only a flogging at high noon on the steps of the Graduate Library will placate us. jViva Diversity!

Staff Mike Beidler, Thomas Binkow, David Boettger, Jim Bominski, Joe Coletti, Brian Cook, Pete Daugavietis, Vincent DeSantis, Mark Dundon, Athena Foley, Adam Garagiola, Reg Goeke, Monica Hanson, Jon Hoekstra, Nicholas Hoffman, Heather Johnston, Shannon Luttermoser, Jeff Muir, Chris Peters, Dave Powell, Michael Skinner, Mark Stem, Chris Terry, Doug Thiese, John Transue, Al Tulkki, Stacey Walker, Tony Woodlief, Carolyn Zach Editor Emeritus Marc Selinger

And speaking of Jennifer Van Valey, doesn't one of her gripes against the deputization revolve around the fact that the whole thing was undertaken secretly, behind closed doors, and when most students were off campus? Hmmm... sounds vaguely along the lines of how Van Valey gave $1000 of student money to the Palestinian Solidarity Coriunittee junket last summer, when most students were out of town. Once again, the word hypocrite leaps to mind.

The Michigan Review is an independent, non-profit, student-run journal at the University of Michigan. We are not affiliated with any political party. We welcome letters and articles and encourage comments about the journal and issues discussed in it. Our address is: Suite One

The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 3

Roving Photographer What do you think of a deputized police force on campus? by David Boettger

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Helen Bellanca, Engineering Junior: It seems hypocritical to me to try to make this campus a safer place by giving guns to a University police force. The role of the University is to create an environment which is conducive to getting the best education possible.

Tom Spetnagel, Engineering Junior: I am wholeheartedly in favor of an armed force on campus. I have nothing to fear. Security will protect my rights, not violate them.

Heather Burrows, LSA Senior: I think deputization is a colossal waste of money. I know that I won't feel any safer knowing that there are even more people out there with guns and the right to use them.

Steve Edelstein, LSA Senior: I don't think that they would be such a bad idea. Maybe one of them would shoot Preacher Mike. I hate Preacher Mike.

r-----------------------------------------------------, you...

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Oppose speech bans? Support the teaching of classic literature? Abhor the politicization of the classroom? Feel the U-M/s leftists need to be challenged? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, support

The Michigan Review With your tax-<leductible donation of $15 or more, you'll receive a one-year subscription to the campus affairs journal of the University of Michigan. You'll read in-<lepth articles about the wasteful U-M bureaucracy, be the first to hear of First Amendment violations, and keep abreast of the forces working to erode traditional Western education. YES! I WOULD UKE TO HELP! I'm sending my tax-<leductible donation of:

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 4

From Suite One: Editorials

The Conservative-Abolitionist Coalition?· ~,

Nobody dared guess the outcome of the November Michigan Student Assembly (MSA) elections, a battle between the entrenched action leftists and the more reasonable Abolitionists and ConServative Coalition (Cc). Yet everybody was surprised by the results, with CC winning 10 of the 24 contested seats, independents winning eight, Action taking six, and the Abolitionists shut-out. Although the Abolitionists are surely demoralized by their failure, CC should not bask in the warmth of their seeming success - they won more seats in the 1989 fall elections, This considered, we believe University of Michigan students have much to gain from a CC-Abolitionist merger.

As Morton 6lackwell has pointed out, "you can't save the world if you can't pay the rent."" . Both CC and the Abolitionist organizations speak to a frustrated constituency that believes MSA is not properly or adequately addressing student concerns. Despite many similarities in the two parties' platforms, CChas traditionally fared far better. Much of CC's success is attributable to its well-organized and motivated leadership, but a large portion of its platform has been "At least we are not Action." Also noteworthy has been CC's vulnerability to exogenous circumstances. For example, the election of Aaron Williams to the MSA presidency by a plurali ty in the Spring 1989 elections was arguably the result of a fortuitous three-way split in the left-wing ticket. In the 1990 elections, Williams was was again af-

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fected by circumstances Bey()nd his control when h~and the Student Activities Coalition's ROTC-backed candidate split the conservative vote. Similarly, what may have evolved into a mandate for either the Abolitionists or CC in the most recent elections was deferred by their disunity. _ As Abolitionist candidate Jesse Walker has observed, "Conservative Coalition, by its;very name, a self-limiting group." Beca.uSe of its. seemingly strict partisan association, CC appears unacceptable to a large portion of the political spectrum which would, under a different rubric, be receptive to its platform. Although partisan interest has been a major stumbling block to past merger attempts, MSA Representative and CC member James Green does not envision this difficulty persisting. ''There. is. room for compromise on this issue," he said. In view of November's election results, the AbOlitionist party should seriously consider this attempt at recQnciliation. Clearly, they have the most tq gain by a CC-:-Abolitionist merger. In addition to a new name; association with ahighly motivated CC constituency would provide a realistic opportunity to implement their policy proposals. CC would also benefit, if only by an incr.ease in their constituency. As Green notes,"When groups with such similar goals come together, they are always stronger:" We feel that an Abolitionist-CC merger would be a boon to the student body. A unified party with a popular, pragmatic platform and a new name could eventually turn MSA into a responsible student government capable of handling such simple chores as allocating office space to student groups. Petty politics ought to be put aside, and a real coalition formed. As Morton Blackwell has pointed out, "you can't save the world, if you can't pay the rent." Abolitionist and CC principles mean nothing without an opportunity for their implementation through electoral success.

Administrationspeak A controversy concerning some alleged "graffiti" on an' East Quad resident's door has arisen in recent weeks. The alleged graffiti incited no riot; nor was it part of any crime; rather, ft was found to be offensive by two East Quad janitors. When the custodians supposedly discovered such graffiti for a second time, they erased the message-board' s contents without consulting the room' sresidents. According to the resident and.several of his hallmates, however, there was nothing "offensive" on the door. But, even suppo.!/ing th(it the student had don:e exactly as the janitors allege, it is the janitors who should be reprimanded, not the resident. It seems that they have forgotten that the University of Michigan's speech code was declared unconstitutional in August 1989. Even irrational, symbolic gestures are protected under U.s. District Judge AvemCohn's ruling. Certainly, some graffiti can be offensive- yet are we to determine what sort of expression should be allowed based merely upon its tendency to offend? There is little reason to defend a right to free expression when the expression's content is a generally accepted plati tude; such a defense becomes necessary when the expression is outrageously offensive. When we are certain that some opinion is undeniably wrong, we must make every effort to protect the right of dissenters to express that view. Indeed, the only way to prove the solidity of our own beliefs is to expose them to any and all criticism, rational or otherwise. The interplay of free speech requires individuals tb defend their views often publicly and spontaneously - and this makes some folks uncomfortable. They assert that they ought to be protected from speech they consider inappropriate. In keeping with the spirit of this notion, Executive Director of University Relations Walter Harrison and Director of Affirmative Action Z.I. Giraldo recently sent a memorandum to all Executive Officers, Deans, Directors, and Departn}ent.Heads. This byproduct of the Task Force on Sexual Orientation announced that "guidelines" concerning the "preferred" (read: proper) expressions to use in reference to an individual's sexual preference and marital status I

These editorials represent the opinions of the Review editorial board.

had been determined, and faculty members were "encourage[d) to reflect them in [their] communications." While it does not mandate that these "preferred" words be used, there is little ambiguity in the memo's message. "'Sexual Orientation' is the preferred term when referring to homosexuality, bisexuality, or heterosexuality. The term 'sexual preference' implies choice, which is incorrect," says the memo. One does not need a fertile imagination to grasp the underlying meaning. This memorandum exemplifies an insidious form a censorship that is becoming all too prevalent at the U-M. By calling these recommendations guidelines," the memo gives the impression that a certain degree of propriety is attached to the use of these words; when professors pass Harrison and Giraldo's message on to their students, the existence of a de facto code becomes obvious: students will inevitably feel coerced into using Politically Correct language in their discussions and essays, their grades being at stake. By telling people what speech is permissible, Harrison and Giraldo define /f

"The term 'sexual preference' implies choice, which is incorrect.~' what it is permissible to think -2... they define how we are to conceive of sexUal preference. By designating that some language is proper and acceptable, while other expressions are not, they go beyond merely expressing a preference for one term over another: they say, in effect, that the words necessary to contend the opposite are not properly considered part of the language when so used. In George Orwell's 1984, Winston Smith could think, "Big Brother is double plus ungood," but the rules of definition and grammar rendered the thought unintelligible gibberish. The attitudes that underlie the memorandum are no different. It seems that since the U-M cannot stop students from speaking, it will instead try to stop them from thinking - by eliminating the words that describe their thoughts.

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 5

Letters to the Editor

Readers React to Pot" Law Article To the editor, Jeff Muir's attack on my defense of marijuana decriminalization would have been the most brilliant article of your November issue had you but placed the word "Satire" in boldface at the top ("The Pot Law and Students"). Sadly, it was apparently intended as a serious piece, and I am left with the job of defending myself against it. What can I say? For a man so convinced of his knowledge, Muir certainly does a good job of convincing me that he doesn't know a thing about what he's talking about. Were I as sure as Ml,lir of the dangers of marijuana, I wOl,lld accuse him of being the most burnt--Ollt grass freak there is; Where else bl,lt from the killer weed cOl,lld so~eon~get the notion that,lliCis addictive,of that stl,ldents can use absentee ballots to vote on resolutions before CityCouncil? Seriously, Muir's article was ineptly done, across the board. His argumentative method is to pluck three questions I posed in my original article from their context and then proceed to attempt to respond to the answers I gave, as though these three questions were the centerpiece of my argument. They weren't, of course, but that's beside the point. More important is the fact that he obviously didn't understand a single one of them. Take the first. My original essay read, "Had marijuana use increased sincethe fine hadbccn instituted in the early 1970s?No,it hadn't." In response to this, Muir spends several paragraphs addressing, not the level of marijuana use, but the potency of that marijuana, as though that were relevant to anything but the personal euphoria of the user. He can't even do this particularly well, since he doesn't address the potency of all the marijuana in use, but only that of "Mexican varieties of marijuana," when any reasonably informed individual could have told him that a great portion of the pot used here is grown locally often as not in the user's home. He finally does get to thecjuestion of whether or nor marijuana use has increased since the early 1970s, but never answers it satisfactorily. First he quotes a pair of self-appointed authorities who, from their "discussions with the city's youth," have come to the subjective impression that pot use among young people (not all people, but young people) has increased. No statistics are given to back up these

claims. Then he does trot out statistics, but all they demonstrate is that more Ann Arbor twelfth graders smoke pot than twelfth graders across the country - hardly a surprise. The final set of stats he produces demonstrates only that many teenagers "report ease in obtaining" marijuana, which Muir equates withhigh "levels of marijuana use for our children." This, of COUTse, is roughly equivalent to. projecting the suicide rate of a ci tyfrom the availabil. ity of rope. Having apparently refuted my claim to his satisfaction, Muir goes on to my second question, which he reports as, "Were criminals running 'pot houses' and neighborhoods being destroyed? No." He might have understood me better had he finished the quote: "-:-drug laws cause that, not drugs." My point here was very simple. There are no "pot houses" and violent pot-gang wars in Ann Arbor because the de facto legality of marijuana makes them unnecesSary. Muir obviously missed my point, because he givcs,.asan example of a pot house, the story of several tenants accused of dealing cocaine. (For the record, the eviction of these alleged dealers, which Muir recounts with relish, was done in an unconstitutional manner that provoked a great outcry from those concerned with due process, but not, apparently, from Jeff Muir.) Finally, Muir responds to my accurate statement that marijuana is not a "gatewa'y drug" by simply claiming the opposite, without even bothering to back up his opinion. Of course, it is highly likely, for cultural reasons, that many drug abusers began by smoking marijuana. It isalso true, however,that the vast majority of pot smokers never become drug abusers. By the methodology of the "gateway drug" crowd, it can be proven that going to college, hanging around with jazz musicians, and joining the Republican National Committee are "gateways" to amphetamine, heroin, and alcohol abuse, respectively, despite the obvious fact that most students, jazz fans, and Republicans have no drug problems at all." It is significant, I think, that Muir never addresses the crux of my argument for decriminalization: individual liberty. To repeat the Thomas Szasz quote that I used in my original article, "I may disagree with what you take, but will defend to the death your right to take it." Perhaps the reason why

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Muir never discusses marijuana use by adults is his inability to come to terms with the notion of the mature adult, free to choose his or her own fate, responsible for his or her own actions. Muir's talk of '''acceptable levels of marijuana use" stinks of Big Government paternalism that sees people not as free and responsible individuals, but as wards of the state. In the end, the marijuana question - and all victimless "crime" questions. - fall along these lines. Either you try to control the

lives of others, or you respect the autonomy of the individual. If Muir thinks that marijuana use is socially harmful, he's free to warn people agains~ it. The rest of us are, or should be, free to follow or ignore his advice as we see fit. In the meantime, I hope that in the future the editors of the Michigan Review will make an effort to check their writers' facts before publication.

Jesse Walker LSA Junior

Muir's Voting Sentiments HUnpleasant" Dear Sir, Regarding. Mr. Muir's comments on both marijuana criminalization and student" voting participation: Muir' argues for criminalization on the grounds that marijuana use by children is to(} high, that its use is increasing, that it has become more potent, and that i t acts as a gateway drug leading to more serious drug problems. With the possible exception of increased potency, don't all of these arguments lead inexorably to criminalization of alcohol as well? Does Muir advocate a return to Prohibition? Government has a legitimate interest in disseminating information to promote informed choice, but the prevention of informed choice is simply oppression. We have a right to act against those who harm us by their drug use (by driving while impaired, for instance), but we see in everyday' sheadlines that restricting private activities is ineffective and breaks today's perva-

policy like today's alcohol policy, in which people who are responsible for themselves in the eyes of the Jaw have a right to run, or ruin, their own lives. We should consider this alternative, and others, as substitutes for the tyranny of the majority. On the subject of student civic responsibility, you echo some unpleasant sentiments. When people are mistreated because they are immigrants, I suppose it is justified by the idea that such people are transient and have no stake in the community. The simple fact is that everyone lives somewhere. Just because the student population is characterized by a higherthan-normal tendency to be away during holidays doesn't mean that they shouldn't act on their beliefs, You say that "when considering a choice between self-interest and laws which protect Ann Arbor and it's (sic) citizens, U-M students have chosen the former." Instead of so casually indict-

JJConservatives act absurdly in championing the free market and then claiming the right and obligation to protect people from themselves." sive opposition to law. The conservative movement acts absurdly in championing the free market and then claiming the right and obligation to protect people from themselves. You may respond that minors are incapable of making sufficiently informed decisions, and that we are obliged to exercise our best judgement in their interest. Such an argument carries force, and suggests a marijuana

ing the motives of so many, perhaps you should give them credit for an honest belief, correct or not, in the right to self-determination. The issue of student civic responsibility is an intriguing one; I look foreward to your article next month.

David E. Kaufman Rackham

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 6

Review Forum

Sexist Language Must be Eliminated by Athena Foley Modem English is brimming with sexist expressions and usages that have ceased to properly convey meaning. Whereas "fireman" and. "freshman" once accurately characterized all fire figh ters and first year students, they no longer do. Since the sole purpose of language is to convey ideas, inaccurate, sexist language communicates inaccurate, sexist ideas. AI though overhauling the English language would be impractical, it is reasonable to request that peo?le make an effort to use gender-inclusive language in mariy common situations. For instance, "policeman" is easily replaced with "police officer/' and "senator" or "representative" is effortlessly substituted for "congressman." One may refer to the head of a committee as the "chair" instead of the "chairman." In cases such as these, including "man" in the title does not describe all members of the group,

word meaning male person, and thus they would not need to be changed. Children would notbeconditioned into sexist thinking by continued use of these words. Unlike "fireman," words like "manuscript," for instance, do not conjure up an image of a man. Therefore, children would not picture males when hearing this word. Children would also distinguish between the male image from "policeman" and the generic image of people-suggestive words like "manager." Since "policeman" is a compound word, "man" is essentially an identifying characteristic of "police." Children can picture "police" and "man" asdistinctimages. On the other hand, they can not separate "man" from "ager." To children, "manager" would flow as one distinct, generic idea in a way that the compound "policeman" would not. Some words in our language would change their present meanings, however. One example of this is "man,"

Specifity is vital when describing wife or husband battering, but in other cases, gender information is irrelevant - yet including implies that gender matters. whereas the nonsexist alternatives do. Nonsexist language would be particularly beneficial to children. Their minds are not sophisticated enough to picture a woman when they hear "fireman." Since concepts of gender roles are solidified in the formative years, using gender-exclusive .words conditions a child to assume that professions and actions like "manning your post" are done only by men. Sexist language teaches sexist thinking; using such language around children proselytizes them, whether it is intended or not. At this point, an important distinction concerning which words should be changed ought to be made: all words with "man" in them would not need to be changed. For instance, "woman" is a combination of the Old English words meaning "wife" and "human." "Human" comes from the Latin humanus, which means any human being. . Words such as "manuscript" and "manual" come from the Latin word for hand. Norie are derived from a

when supposedly used as a gender neutral term, as in "When man began to walk upright..." "Man" is never an all encompassing term chiefly because it cannot always be interchanged with its truly generiC counterparts, "humans' and "people." For instance, ''When people give birth," or ''W,hen humans give birth," are valid statements, but "When man gives birth," sounds absurd. If "man," "people," and "humans" had the same meaning, they would always be mutually substitutable. But this is not the case. In any event, the result of attempting touse" man" as both generic and gender-specific is that males automatically fit the general description while women, because they have a different name, are the deviant. When someone uses "man," is is not always clear that it is intended inclusively. The question, "Do you mean just men, or men and women?" can be asked frequently. Needlesstosay,themajority of human beings are not male. Nonsexist language would not

always beequivalemt to genderneutral language, however. When "wife" or "husband battering" becomes "domestic violence," the action is no longer accurately described. In other words, there are relevant and irrelevant differ~nces between people.

feasible. Language is flexible: we no longer speak Old English, and the media is perpetually coining new phrases. Language must keep pace with society's changes; since the role of women within society has changed, so must the relevant aspects of language.

Sexist language teaches sexist thinking; . using such language around children proselytizes them, whether it is intended or not. Specificity is vital when describing wife or husband battering, but in other cases, gender information is irrelevant-yet including it implies that gender matters. Forinstance,labeling theheadofacommittee "chairwoman" implies that calling her "chair" does not accurately describe her position, and that her sex is somehow relevant to her occupation. Including gender information in this way can thus be sexist and demeaning. People should also be aware of male and female versions of words that have lost their original, equivalent meanings. Forinstance,"Old Masters" refers to any of the great European painters before the 18th century, but "Old Mistresses" has an entirely different connotation. "Bachelor" also conveys a different meaning than "spinster." "Old Geniuses" would be a more inclusive term for the artists,

Language changes need not be awkward,either. ''Negro'' changed to "black," and then to"Afro-American." Sexist language can be eliminated just like racist language. Substitutions of the plural forms "they" and "their" for "him" and "his" are already often used in speech. People have the power to define what is considered to be grammatically incorrect. Nonsexist dictionaries are available if a word substitution does not come to mind. Certainly no one should be forced, by the government or another institution, to change his or her preferred mode of self expression. There exist viable alternatives to our current sexist language, however. Through voluntary inclusion in textbooks, eduqltion, and the media, these choices could be enacted. In any event, it is not necessary to

Substitutions of the plural forms "they" and "their" for "him" and "his" are already often used in speech. People have the power td define what is considered gramtically incorrecb and "never-married people" would not carry any sexist connotations. Male and female roles are also differentiated by attaching "-ette" to the original word to form the female version (majorette, for instance). Once again, women are treated diminutively, as an addendum and an exception to the rule. This practice trivializes women. The suffix is extraneous, and meaning would not be lost by abanâ&#x20AC;˘ doningit. It is important to reiterate that a switchtononsexistlangu"ageisentirely'

further "prove" that sexist language is .harmful in order to justify a ,call for change. ~yen if itwere true that sexist language were not da~aging, as long as people are offended by sexist language, it should be changed. One should be willing to call another what s/he wants to be called simply out of respect.

Athena Foley is a sophomore in the Resid~ntial College and a staff writer' for the Review.f, 11

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 7

Review Forum

Language Reform is a Silly Idea by Nick Hoffman Many really good ideas, like world peace and the Edsel, are impractical when applied to the real world. Similarly, the idea of removing "gender-exclusive" words from the English langUage, while nice in theory, cannot seriously be considered. Despite the claims of language activist groups thatgender-exclusive langUage degrades and offends, the tremendous difficulties involved in eliminating it from the language far outweigh the small benefits to be derived from its institution. The first problem activists must face is deciding what parts of the langUage should be changed. Many intellectuals have made an effort to replace the traditional "he" and "his," frequently used as generic pronouns in sentences, with a "he/she" or "s/he" compromise. But, this type of combination is very awkward because it does not allow a smooth flow of ideas, When a reader comes to a s/he combinatjon,he/she must stop in midsentericetothinkinhis/hermindabout what the s/he combination means. If this occurs frequently, he/ she can lose her /his train of thought, and miss the point of what s/he is reading, making him/her start over, which is really annoying. Another idea is to switch the singular "he" to the plural "they/' so the word does not refer to any specific person or gender. But, becau~ the word does not specify who it is referring to, there is some confusion on the reader's partaboutwhich,orhowmany, people are involved~ Also, the "they" constructiongr'fatly. )#,~~tence

"seaperoneship" (seamanship). Words like these are not only unwieldy, but they are very confusing, too. "Chairperone" (chairman) sounds a lot like "chaperone," and if you said "parone," (parson) mDst people would think you were referring to an easy

When a reader comes to a s/he combination, he/she must stop in midsentence to think in his/her mind what the s/he combination means.

hole in golf. I feel, though, that if langUage activists change these parts of English, they must root outall forms of "genderexclusive" langUage. We should stop referring to shipS and planes as "she." Everyone should start finding replacements for words like "motherload," and "fatherland." Even many family-names, such as JeffersOn and Brinkman, would have to be changed to a more gender-friendly version; if these reforms are worthwhile, they're worth doing right. Similarly, despite language activists' claims that sexist langUage negativelyinfluenceschildren'sperceptions of gender roles, they say that not all words containing "man" need to be changed (like "manual" and "mariager"), because not all words containing the syllable are etymologically tied to maleness. Children, however, are unlikely to distingUish the etyffiology of words like "chairman" from that of "human," "woman," and "manuscript," just to name a few. It is unclear flexibil~ty; Wri~WhP.try~~"tl)ey" where we would draw the final line-'-soon find ,~mii~ ci)~troct :~~ii with respect to g~nderized langUage, ~nt~~es~~ce~~Way~~~fu or any other "species" of word that may fall from favor. , It, whIch sev~ly restrict$,thelJ' ~nge ofexpiessioO. . .' .. ' "'.,' . Unfortunately, to make these Activists also wantt6~h~rise , changes, we would have to tum the words like fireman and ir\anho~e t(,) . English langUage on its head. This firepersonandpmonhole/iheywantto ' would cause major communication remove the "man" from th.~,,!ordre: . '. problems not orily in our country, as cause they feel this n\asoJ1ineief~f~ " ' people try to learn a politically correct ence influences t~ petceptiOQ ofthE# '.." langl,tage, butalsoabroad,asEn&,ish is positionS in such way that ~ng an international language. will feel excluded from occupying BUt changing the language is not them. The difficulty with using "peronly .impractical, it's immoral. Even assuming actiVists were able to change son" as a replacement, however, is that it contains the wDrd "son," which is the language and rid it of all also a masculine reference. Some have unnecessary references to gender, suggested replacing "son" with the many people would c;:ontinue to speak word "one." Combining these methin the "old fashiDned," "genderods, you would end up with words like exclusive" manner because it is easier "postperone" (pDStm~J;\~ . aI:ld , for the~. To prevent this, the Clc~.vists

women '

would have tD make it obligatory for everyone to use the new langUage. But then they would be denying us the right to free self-expression. Besides, there is no way they can 'constantly monitor everyone's speech to ensure they are speaking "correctly." People

would only speak "correctly" when they knew they were being observed. Atother times, they would speak in the outdated English as a form of defiance and independence. The whole situation would become a vulgar; if not tragic, farce. These reform-mad people fail to see that there is nothing really wrong with today's form .of English. If there were, there would be something wrong with language in general. In the Romance langUages, for example, masculine words always dominate. But, in

English nowadays, these so-called "gender-exclusive" words are commonly recognized and assumed to representbothsexes. The word "gUys" is a good example of this assumption. Although originally an exclusively male reference, it is now accepted to refer to both males and females alike. Even females use it to refer to other females in conversation. Bearing this in mind, then, it would seem that whoever feels these words degrade and offend is simply very insecure and touchy about gender. Because of this immaturity, they are looking for and finding offense where none is intended, and creating a controversy which should not exist. These people must come to realize that changing the language will not eliminate any gender stereotypes that mayexistin society. It will OrilydestrDY English as a colorful, coherent method of communication. Nick Hoffperone is a junior in political science and communications and a staff writer for the Review.

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 8

Interview

Kirk Critiques the Diversity Behel110th On November 29, Joe Coletti of the Review interviewed Dr. Russell Kirk. Kirk, who lives in Mecosta, Michigan, is.arenownedexpert on Edmund Burke and the author of The Conservative Mind and Eliot and His Age. He visited the University of Michigan to give a lecture sponsored by the U-M Law S9tool's Federalist Society and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. The lecture concerned his new book, The Conseroative Constitution.

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REVIEW: Those who fought for the diversity Class claim that Western culture is racist. Is it? KIRK: That is a very insincere demand. Behind these demands for the abandomnent of genuine culture lies the simple fact that most of the people who deIPand this change themselves are incapable intellectually of absorbing thyexisting culture. I encountered

REVIEW: What role do non-traditional studies, such 'a s women's stud, ies play in the erosion of traditional education?

KIRK: Certainly they will work at that erosion. Take for example women's studies. There are many great women writers, particularly women in science and so on, whom I have always taken for granted had always been a part of

REVIEW: What do you think of the University of Michigan's new "diversity" requirement?

KIRK: This is a case of academic tyranny. It's an endeavor to indoctrinate young men and women whopr~uma bly are able to form their own opinions - to indoctrinate them with a curiously childish view of life "anything goes," all things are of equal value, all should be accepted, make no moral judgements. That way leads to social and personal anarchy. After all this talk of freedom for the mind, the very , people who do much of the talking endeavor to impose their views upon persons who should be morally free agents, not the subjects of indoctrination under the misguided label of "diversity." This is all an attempt to overthrow the inherited intellectual and moral system of our civilization - an anarchic attempt. I am writing a book on our British patrimony in a healthy reaction against the so-called multiculturalism developing across the country. In short, our language is English and our cui ture is British. The fact that there are many persons here who are not of British origin does not mean that we can supplant the inherited British culture with some other culture. Language governs everything: our law, our literature, our political structure. The whole complex of our culture is British in origin and cannot be altered without destroyirlg the culture. We see this attempt going on in Detroit by the school board to " Africanize" the curriculum. We see it in textbook publishers from across the nation and in the demands that they emphasize African culture. This is a kind of madness and will result in the collapse of learning, especially the higher learning at the University of Michigan, if successfully enforced.

women's studies deprives herself of real study. REVIEW; How important is it for students to know the works of Milton, Virgil, and Shakespeare as opposed to lesser-known authors who represent different races and cultures?

KIRK: What we are pursuing in ,education is wisdom. Wisdom - not simply the work of a man who had never written anything and gets chosen because he happens to be onefourth Cree Indian, but because there's an enduring wisdom - whatT. S. Eliot called the IJpermanent things" to be found in the great writings. Thus Virgil, for instance, imparts wisdom about the human condition which transcends all ages. He shouldn't be studied because he's part of Italian studies, but because he's part of the general learning. We study Milton because of the great importance to the understanding of religiqn in modem times and his great mastery of the writing art. Again, it's an attempt to escape from the demand put upon us by great writers like Virgil and Milton and to substitut~ some polemicist of our own time who manages to get 30,000 copies of his book sold through sensationalism, whose words will mean nothing 10 years from now, or even five years from now and the mastery of whose writings requires very little indeed. REVIEW: Many groups are claiming new rights: animal rights, gay rights. Are these rights legitimate?

this sort of demand years ago. "Why can't we have more African culture?" 'Why yes, you can, it is a very good demand. Begin with the study of a great civilization - Egypt. Of course, you have to learn about hieroglyphics and a great deal of obscure history at the start of it, but you are very right to ask for African studies. Are you going to enter into Egyptology or perhaps Nubian studies?" ''Well, no, no. We just want our own culture." Their own culture is American culture, there is no such thing as the survival of African culture in the United States. It's a silly demand. It's simply an attempt to find a way to. a false degree.

studies - at least a part of my studies as a young man. But to separate studies of women from general studies? Who would advocate men's studies? How could we have, tor eXi\rn..ple, a course in the history of law and a parallel course in history of men's law, how could that be? Gender makes very little difference. Then again, women's studies is simply , an attempt ,to get away from a hard discipUn~of any real body of knowledge to a · silly little whining, complaining, ''Why haven't we been treated more geaerously? How wonderful we are, how awful men are." How very silly, you see. This is an example of the terrible mental confusion of the age. Any woman who enters upon a course of

KIRK: Every right is married to a duty. If one has the right to an income, , one has the duty of the work to justify the income, and if one has the right to freedom of speech, one has the du ty of responsible freedom of speech, and so on. In our own age, however, it is customary asserting rights butJorgettiog about theduti~. In short, fora right to exist, there must be some sanction or authority which is able to guarantee and protect that right. And to assert rights which have no authority or sanction behind them is' to ask what cannot be. One may look for example to the Charter of the United Nations adopted after the Second World War. Among the rights asserted is the rightto a yacation with pay. An interesting exchange about this occured at Geneva some 20

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 9

years ago in a discussion of this important right. There arose a delegate from Madras, India, who asserted that the wicked Western powers ha9 ~n"€t glecting this right. He said that every.. . one must have a vacation with full pay, the vacation should be for three months, and it should be in the summer. A Swiss--German economist who was a consultant to the United Nations said, "Well, that's all very well perhaps for you in India where it's so hot in the summer you can't work anywai 'But it will scarcely work in Western Europe, particularly in Switzerland where we work as hard as wecan in the summer because that's when the tourists come. That would cut off our source of income, that would ~so cut off some great vacations." The Indian delegate said, "Capitalist exploiter!" and walked out. That was the end of the discussion of rights asserted beyond reason. I'll say this about homosexual rights, if such appetites are widely indulged in, the whole population of the United States will perish of AIDS. One has no right to a thing which is of great social harm. You might as well say "the right of a mugger to pursue his life-style" though at the expense of somebody else, perhaps in deadly fashion. I suppose we'll soon hear of an association for muggers' rights ~ there already are sources for muggers' rights - these various extreme socalled civil rights organizations. So the demand for animal's rights-Lord knows how far those will carry us: organizations for mosquitoes' rights, ants' rights. Rights are human only, and all this talk about "human rights" as such is silly because there aren't any rights that aren't human - of course they are human rights: only humans have rights. Property has no rights as such. A table has no rights, dogs don't have rights, birds don't have rights, only humans - it's a development of human civilization. And you may say that there are no rights outside of human civilization, since it is only in a civilized structure that rights can be obtained and enforced.

ous today, when we find radical views well entrenched inside the academy and the gf!neral publi~ basically movingi,n a conservative diiectign. 'Il1ere was, hQ:Wev.er; a very large revival of conservative thought, that began at the end of the 19405 and beginning of the 1950s, and of which my' ·· book, The Conservative Mind, was a part. It actually exerts increasing influence on the rising generation. It is interesting to note that in both of

be, with the passage of time, that the conservative character of the university will assert itself. , REVIEW: Where · is American conservatism headed in the 199Os7 . KIRK: There is a great dispute among the people who are called conservatives. The so-called noo-<:onservatives are really yesteryear's liberals, except that they've objected to com-

Women's studies is simply an attempt to get away from a hard discipline of any real body of ~nowledge. Any woman ' who enters upon a course of women's studies deprives herself of real study. Ronald Reagan's successful campaigns for the presidency, the segment of voters in which he had the largest majority was that of young people. The smallest majority was among elderly voters (over 65). The general trend is for the rising generation to move toward conservative views while the elder generation is still dominated, or partly dominated, by the liberalism of 40 to 50 years ago. But the tendency in the disciplines of history or English or political science is to emphasize yesteryear's liberalism or the radicalism of the 1960s in an endeavor to ignore the outside world. I think of a gathering call - a call to action - of Catholics back in 1976. Radical views were advanced by various delegates to the conference. One bishop said, "People, do you know there's a real world outside?" They seemingly didn't, coming up with these grandiose resolutions to establish a ~topian wodd. Again, it is a narrow little group of people in the Church who hold Church secretaryships, and the chairmanship of various administrative duties, and they live in their own little realm of imaginary inhabitants while the world goes on differently outside. So it will

munism. They, have no important publications, and the books that they've written aren't likely to be read five years from now, SO it's a temporary little sect, mOstly entrenched in Manhattan. They're intent on the advancement of the interests of Israel. It is curious how what comes before everything else in a serious discussion is a defense of Israel. This is a temporary bloc of opinion, I'm sure. Then there are the people who are called, and call themselves, libertaria!1s, People who think that somehow they can abolish government and all live happily in a competitive, capitalist economy. One understands their attitudes and reactions against a passion for regulation. The central body of conservatism is people who adhere, whether knowingly or not, to the long political tradition of America and the older tradition of English politics and law, which goes back seven centuries. Most Americans have no clear idea of what these political positions amount to, but polls are taken from time to time and they ask people what they call themselves: Conservative, middle-of-the-road, liberal, radical, or you don't know. Mbre people call themselves conservative than any

other group put together. When we add to this the people who call themselves middle-of-the-road, we end up with a huge majority. They may not understand .what proper measures to pursue, but at least they are prejudiced in keeping things pretty much as they are, adhering · to the "permanent things," and disliking the pace of rapid change we have been experiencing. I think the American general opinion continues to move in the conservative direction. We are not likely to experience any great wave of radical feeling, thus the radicalism of the 19605 never touched the so-<alled blue collar classes. So far as they were aware of what was going on, they were highly hostile, They prefer things established, as they are. My father was a railway man, locomotive engineman and fireman. At the height of the depression, before the defeat of Herbert Hoover, he told me, "If something isn't done, there's going to be a revolution." I said, "Well, Daddy, are you going to fight in that revolution." . He said, "Oh no, no, no. I'm not going to fight. I'm against it. I'm just saying if something isn't done ... " So even during the worst of the depression that was the attitude of the working classes. They weren't pressing for great change, they were afraid of the change. The programs of the radicals and li berals ate confused and disorganized now. I suppose that it's conceivable if there is another-major depression, various fanatic voices will be heard crying for change. But let me say that America is now more conservative, more stable than Britain. The new Prime Minister, Mr. Major, wishes to establish a classless society before the year 2000. Now that the Russians have given up the idea of a classless society, we're back with it in England under the Conservative Party, Nobody here tal ks a bou t a classless society except a few people. (

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REVIEW: What is the relationship between the University's political orientation and society's political be~ liefs7 KIRK: The American republic was founded by men of highly conservative views, and the Constitution itSelf is a conservative document. One needs to hear more about this nowadays. By and large, the academy has been dominated by men of what has been called a ritualistic liberal mind, or perhaps beyond that, a radical mind. That vision has been most conspicu-

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 10

Essay

The Pea Plant-Sandinista Connection "'V "";

by Jeff Muir When I registered for Professor John Vandermeer's "Biology 101: Biology and Human Affairs" class, I had no idea what I was in for. I wanted to satisfy my natural sciences distribution requirement. Being no budding scientist, I inquired from an academic counselor as to what would be the best

scientist, it contained purely leftist ideological political rantings about pollution, dependency economics, and social classes. From Vandermeer's very first lecture, my worst fears about the class were realized. They were really political diatribes about Ronald Reagan, George Bush, the impending

Little did I know then that a more appropriate title for the course might have been "The Biology of Nicaragua, Radical Pop-Environmentalism, and stale 1960s Leftist Rhetoric."

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What made Vandermeer's course even worse were the numerous neohippies from upper-middle class midwestern homes. Their education bankrolled by their well-to-do parents, they spend mom and dad's money o,n tie-died shirts, draw-string pants, water-buffalo/Jesus sandals, and . Rastafarian berets. You can find them smoking dope on the .Diag and babbling endlessly about homelessness, capitalism, Marxism, environmentalism, etc. They say all the Politically Correct things, wear all the Politically Correct clothes, and attend all the Politically Correct rallies. As the professor spoke, these junior Vandermeers would softly utter "right on, man," or "straight up," or some other inane exclamation intended to signal support for Vandermeer's propaganda. By the end of October, I had resigned myself to making the best of the class. Vandermeer's lectures were entertaining, in a sick sort of way. Somewhere along the line I remembered a humorous essay from the American . Spectator, written by P.J. O'Rourke, on the Nicaraguan elections, called ''Mood Swings ' in Managua". The piece which was written after O'Rourke had travelled to Nicaragua to cover the electi9ns with two newly

choice. Since Professor Vandermeer's doom of a polar cap melt-down, and the injustice of big business. But class was "geared towards non-science concentrators," and the professor Vandermeer's topics were not all negative. He continually droned about the was "very popuIai-," I signed on. A few weeks later, as I was settling glories of the Sandinista revolution in into' my seat preparing for .the first Nicaragua and all the progress tolecture, I could.not help but wonder . wards Utopia they had made since what was really meant by the term ''Bi1979. ology and Human Affairs." I guessed In addition, approximately once a week we saw a film. These were not that the class would focus on the biolbiology films, however. They had titles ogy of everyday life- mass-produced foods, a smattering of ecology, and like ''The,Plight of the Migrant Agrialmost certainly an orientation to the cultural Worker," "The lran-ContraCocaine Connection," ''The Evils of the basic principles of standard biology. Little did I know then that a more apUnited Fruit Company," andsoon. We propriatetitIe for the cou~ might also regularly saw h~me slide shows have been ''The Biology of Nicaragua, from Vandermeer's personal collecRadical Pop-Environmentalism, and ti,»" which featured dirty-faced rug. rats from somewhere south of Texas. Stale 19605 Leftist Rhetoric." . Thefirstday,Vandertneerentered . Ronald Reagan's victims, you know. "This is biology?" I thought to the da~, his long ~y~liir flowing behindJum, and ga~ a,~ introducmyself. .'. . tion~Q,~topi~w~ ~ould~ c;overing . , emseveraloccasionsVandermeer, in,~'aass': .~s,ai,thecOUr~ was w~b,ad a remarkable knack for refreed East European interns who were , contro~al beca~ .he covered,~on~rningto the subject of Nicaragua and trying to learn about democracy. The trovers!'aJtopics.So :hli'so good.'} al~ ~e,~rii$tas, made statements that · article poked fun at American SandinWI)1$ prefer to listen lt$ controversial .just .did not mesh with what I had ista coddlers like Vandermeer rather than morbid1y cO~u~g ' le~ about the topic. I had followed (O'Rourkecall~them "Sandalistas"). It lecture$. He went, througJ\ :tht!' stanthe Reagari. administration's Central also chronicled some of the outradardfltstday fluff, pa'S saiout hissyl-' AJne.rican lot~gn policy very closely. I geously biased international media labus,:and sent us packit\g.:," ,;. "., . . . . paid~peciany close attention to what coverage, both before and after the - Later that day, I br.t>l¥'sed ~gh: , , ,rnoSt ~QJlsidered to be the vindication elections, as well as several incidentsof the reading list and IlQti~a¥upIe()( ,>:' of RonaJd Reagcm's .policies toward questionable Campaign tac.tics by the odd things. First, the course4\d\1deda>;' NicaragU~ year's internationSandinistas and their army. section on . '1deology/'} ,~\aI~~~' ', : ~Iy~ito~ eiectiO~, the first held So, I walked up to Vandermeer thought that biology was a :s<;l~~: ' .by; the $an4inistas smce they took after class one day and handed him a based on facts. Facts and 'ideology '. po~ in a 1979 military coup, in copy of the article. I told him that I dtd which the U.S. backed UNO coalition not agree with a thing he had said seemed like fairly distant poles for a biQlogy class. o~elmingly defeated the Sandinabout NicaragUa, and that, in the spirit Next, I discovered that the bulk of istas. .' Vandermeer implied that the of free and open debate, I would like to US. had bought the election. He went our required reading was to come read this article to the class, as it offered from Barry Commoner's MIlking PttlCe to great pains to explain that the Nicaan opposing "version" of history. I was raguan people really loved the sure that he would think up some lame with the Planet. Reading over the debut they just didn't vote that · Sandinistas, excuse and deny me my request. He scription of the book I discovered that, way. did, after all, have a great deal of although it was written by a bona-fide

propagandizing to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. He was Politically Correct, and needed to indoctrinate the masses. Two days later, however, I walked into the auditorium and took my seat: A few moments later The Old Grey One entered the room, approached me, handed me the article, and said "Do you really want to read this?" "Yes sir!" I replied. "You know I'll have a few things to say about it when you're finished, don't you?" he said. "Certainly, sir!"} said. After Vandermeer had given a moment to a student making an announcement about some garbage study he was conducting for a class project, I was briefly introduced. I took the podium, and began by telling my fellow "biology" students that I had not been satisfied by Vandermeer's portrayal of Nicaragua, and that I was going to read a humorous essay on the topic which I thought was more acrurate, and which made some good points. I then gave a short disclaimer, so as not to get lynched afterwards by some of our resident Sandalistas, about how I thought some of the essay's content was insensitive, and that I did not agree with all of it.

We also regularly saw home slide shows from Vandermeer's personal collection, .which featured dirty-faced rugrats from somewhere south of Texas.

So I lied. It took me 30 minutes to read the article. Some of its highlights were: -O'Rourke's description of American "Sandalistas" ("Dam, here I'd gone and blown by whole semester break ' to come to the elections, and mom is gonna have a cow when she gets the Visa bill, and then these dumb Nicaraguans had to go and spoil everything,"), - His moving recollection of how he had tried in vain to explain to the two interns, one from Poland and one from Czechoslovakia, why Sandalistas, who were after all citizens of a free country, would actually travel to an oppressed nation to promote totalitarianism, - His ridiculing of old hippie

Please See Page 12

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 11

LSA Insanity Continued From Page 1 ence professor commented, "Every minute I spend in an undergraduate classroom is costing me money and prestige." In addition, unanswered questions about the Atheneum's estimated $5 million yearly price tag abound. Jack Meiland, Associate Dean for Curriculum and committee staff member declined to comment on the report, adding that he and Dean Goldenberg have "different ideas"on the subject - a highly unorthodox way, to say the least, of expressing support for the relatively obscure report and its far-reaching proposals. Committee Chair Robert Weisbuch and committee member Patricia Gurin were unavailable for comment. "Apparently they want to allow for more one on one contact between students and faculty," said student committee member Gene Stephens. "I don't think the faculty or the students, will be too receptive to the idea of the Atheneum. A $5 million building is not going to bridge the gap between faculty and students. I doubt it can be done without increasing tuition costs." According to Stephens, faculty committee member Homer Neal has expressed similar sentiments about the Atheneum. Professor Neal could not be reached for comment. Furthermore, the existence of the Residential College makes such an "innovation" seem wholly redundant. "I don't see any real difference between the Residential College and the Atheneum. I think the committee is more interested in appearance than in instituting' real change," said Stephens.

In addition to the Atheneum, the committee hopes to entice students to experiment with science courses by making the first year of undergraduate study pass-fail. For many students, however, this would inevitably lead to a Catch-22 situation. As one LSA s0phomore put it, "Although some students may be more apt to challenge themselves in their course selection, others would certainly abuse the leni-

problem of diversity that way. Education is the key to understanding, and understanding is the key to bridging the gap between cultures. These policies are not going to make people 'si tat the same table.' You can't force people to act a certain way." The remainder of the report concerns itself with incentives and other means for inducing faculty members to care more about their first and sec-

"I don't see any real difference between the Residential College and the Atheneum. I think the committee is more interested in appearance than in instituting real change." ency of the new system." Stephens agreed. "Making the the first year pass-fail will not, in my opinion, create any great rush to the sciences. Maybe giving students more information about the sciences would increase the numbers in these courses," she said. Department of Chemistry Chairman MD. Curtis would not comment on the pass-fail proposal, but said the department was looking at "other ways, such as how we teach chemistry," to increase enrollment in the sciences. The committee's proposals would also affect student life outside the classroom. The committee cites as its top priority the tendency for "students to gravitate to students with roughly the same social background." To reduce this tendency, the report suggests forbidding students to choose their roommates. Stephens;oneof two black students on the committee, says, ItI don't think you are going to solve the

ond year students. Expressing disillusionment with the entire process, one committee member speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, "I don't trunk the Planning Committee on the Under-

graduate Experience operated for the benefit of undergraduate students. Students were on the committee because if they were not it would have looked bad. In fact, there were more topics discussed about the faculty than the students. The faculty members were there for themselves." At a time when the state is cutting U-M funding and many departments are facting daunting budgetary constraints, the administration's plans to even consider a $5 million building project is striking - especially when so many existing buildings are in desperate need of repair. And if LSA wants to attract more students to the sciences, perhaps it should co~"'sider not requiring classes on "ethnic intolerance" and start thinking about instituting a core curriculum.

David J. Powell is a sophomore in history and political science and a staff writer for the Review.

SPECIAL BOOK RUSH HOURS Saturday Jan. 5-9:30 am to 5:00 pm Sunday Jan. 6- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Mon. & Tues. Jan. 7 & 8-8:30 am to 8:30 pm Wed. & Thurs. Jan. 9 & 10 - 8:30 am to 9:00 pm Friday Jan. 11 -8:30 am to 6:30 pm Saturday Jan. 12-9:30 am to 6:00 pm Sunday Jan. 13-11 :00 am to 4:00 pm Mon. & Tues. Jan. 14 & 15 - 8:30 am to 8:30 pm Wednesday Jan. 16-8:30 am to 7:00 pm Thursday Jan. 17 -8:30 am to 6:30 pm Friday Jan. 18-8:30 am to 5:30 pm - Regular store hours resume -

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 12

Rent Control Continued Fram Page 1

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Ann Arbor's strong dislike for rent control by distorting the issue and linking it to homelessness within city limits. Student groups, working in tandem"with rent controllers, have attempted to connect ren t control, homelessness and the DDA's decision to allocat.e several million dollars for the construction and maintenance of park- . ing . W'Uctures and "beautification" projects, such as that which occurred on So1fth University this summer. The Daily claimed in an October 25 editorial that the city has squandered $33 million on such projects. These groups seem to think that if rent is controlled and all DDA funds are spent on charity or welfare programs that some homeless guy, with an invisible friend and who doesn~t know the meaning of the word "work:' will all of a sudden be able afford $350 instead of $500 per month for· rent. Regardless of how righteous groups fighting homelessness sound, Ann Arbor must provide potential customers with adequate parking facilities.· Instituting rent control in tandem with a discontinuation of DDA projects would be at the expense of Ann Arbor's economy. Ann Arbor has a beautiful downtown shopping area thatisa vital part of it's economy. The presence of adequate parking, safeand aesthetically pleasing shopping areas, and the absence of low income housing in the immediate downtown shopping areas are crucial in this equation. This summer Jacobson's department store, located on the rorner of

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Uberty and Maynard, threatened to move out of the city because of paltry parking facilities and a dismal maintenancerecord for existing structures. To help alleviate the parking shortage and to bolster the downtown shopping district's business (which must continue to fend off challenges from pc-

matically reducing the number of available units. Next,those landlords that do continue to maintain rental units become increasingly unwilling to devote adequate resources for upkeep and improvements. This forces the city to finance expensive lawsuits in order to force the owner to make

As is often the case with student activism, a good dose of reality dispels the notion that JJprogressive" policies improve living conditions rimeter developments like the Briarwood and ArOOrland malls), the DDA decided to allocate several million dollars for the construction and upkeep of city run parking facilities as welJas i'beautification" projects. . As is often the case with student activislll, a~good dose of reali ty dispels the notipn that "progressive" policies improve living conditions. Based on studies of cities· which have enacted rent~ntIQl. policies, evidence suggestSthat.aHificially regulating the price of rental properties leads to several ruinous results. In cities like San Francisco and New York, rentI stabilization policies, which were enacted, in part, to alleviate homelessness, have actually led to more homeless people. According to The Excluded Americans, by William Tucker, New York lost 300,000 rental units between 1972 and 1982. "In no other city except New York," he wrote, "has housing been lost during a housing shortage." Once rent control policies are enacted most landlords simply tum their apartments into condominiums, dra-

dent groups to lobby the U-M to build more housing, which would lessen the demand for downtown housing, subsequently lowering the costs. Many universities across the country provide students with housing for four years. While this might be expecting too much of the U-M, it certainly demonstrates the plaUSibility of increased facilities. Several task forces and commissions, either city, U-M, or jointly appointed, have reached the conclusion that U-M needs to provide more student housing, and shOUld promote joint development ventures. In fact, in recent remarks to the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce, U-M· President James J. Dudcrstadt stated that the U-Mwould be willing to consider various joint development ventures with either the city or private developers. So why, have student activists continued to beat the dead horse of rent--control long after it became obvious that it was not right for Ann Arbor, and the people of Ann Arbor were strongly opposed to.the idea? As with the case of de--criminalized marijuana, it appears that the student activists involved are takinginto consideration only those factors which benefit their narrow self interests, while ignoring the numerous .and serious negative effects which rent--control would bring upon Ann Arbor.

improvements fitting within the city's intrusive regulations.. Finally; . given the above, virtuaUyallnew development of rentaJproperties ceases. . Although> students obviously have an interesfin rental prices, rent control policieS would ultimately only end up hurting them. In any event, the permanent residents of Ann Arbor opposed to rent control simply do not . believe that burden lies with the city of Ann Arbor. Non--student renters far outnumber student renters in Ann Arbor, so while renH:ontrol might temporarily appear to solve the student's hou?ing proble~s, it would do far more damage to the city and its economy. It is no wonder, then, that voters have rejected the "cut off your leg to save your foot" alternative that rent--controloffers. Instead of continually pestering . the city to enact regulations that would, after a short-term financial . advantage to the stqdent population, Jeff Muir. is a sophomore in political wreak havoc on local st.udent housing science and a staff writer for the Reand all city rental property operations, VIew. it would be more appropriate for stu-

Pea Plant Continued From Page 1 women with grey--streaked underarm hair who refuse to shave their legs (''What's the matter, toots," O'Rourke wrote, "don't you know that fur is dead?,'), • His poem about Joseph Linder being "blown to mnder." Linder was an American Sandalista who actively aided the Contras and was killed by the Sandinistas. • His descriptions of the press conferences held before the election which were attended by "rat-pack" journalists representing such vaunted literary organizations as the "Berkeley High Colonic Mimeographed News-

letter." They booed and hissed every time a serious, intellectual, and unbiased question was asked of a Sandinista official or an American Sandalista. As I read about these things, I was booed and hissed. I found this very funny as I reflected on it afterwards. A bunch of neo-hippies were booing me for making fun of people who boo people criticize liberal ideology. Go figure. The moment I had finished, Vandermeer re-took his. podium and immediately went about the job of discredi ting everything tha t I had said. Vandermeer described O'Rourke as a McCarthyist who thought that Coretta Scott King was a communist, and then

told a sob story about how he was a friend of good '01 Joseph Linder, the man who had beenublown to a flinder" by Reagan's Contras. He also told me, in front of the entire class, that he would like very much for me to go to EI Salvador posed as an FMLN sympathizer, so that I could get blown to a flinder. He even went so far as to offer to sponsor this "independent study program" for me. He then opened up the floor for students to ask me questions or make comments about my presentation. Some dweeby Sandalista sarcastically asked me what the "several good points" were that I thought the article raised, but nobody offered any sub-

stantive criticisms to what I had said. Vandermeer then switched gears, announcing that we must get on with his planned lecture. Amazingly, as if he had planned it this way all along, Vandermeer then actually taught some biology! We learned about taking longstemmed pea plants and grafting them to short-stemmed pea plants and getting, if you can believe this, mediumstemmed pea plants! Such is the life of a student of serious biology.

J ef( Muir is a sophomore in political science and a staff -writer for the Re-

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The MiclUgan Review, December 1990, p. 13

Arts: Soak Review

The Great Communicator's Latest Words An American L'~e

mid-1960s Reagan was merely , a through several leadership changes , ,through life. , Jack Reagan was a New Dealer, prominent conservative when some while the United States maintained a Ronald Reagan friends (his future ''kitchen cabinet") 'comPelling the younger Reagan to call consistent, and hard nosed, policy. Simon and SChuster asked him to run for governor of Calihimself, "a Democrat by birth," and to Reagan supports his contention that Hardcover, $24.95 fornia. Reagan maintains tha that 'he voted for Franklin Dethis chief ' admit his administration was constantly at748 pgs. lano Roosevelt four times. Reagan appeal as a politiCian was the fact that tempting to negotiate a fair treaty with he was a political outsider with values quotes and conjures the name of FDR the Soviets. He insists that there was by Clifton Gault and ideals similar to those of his conso often that one feels that he is specifi"The years ahead will be great rarely an enthusiastic response from , stituents. ones for our country, for the cause of premiers Brezhnev, Andropov or '~ , Reading Reagan's endless narraChernenko. freedom and forthe spread of civiliza~ . ~ tive of his dealings with the Soviets is tion. The West will not contain com~ " Reagan admits that the greatest f a lackluster experience. In light of refailure of his presidency was his inabilmunism, it :will " tr~nscendcominu .... cent events it all seems to be ancient , ity to reduce federal spending. He nism. We will not bother to den~unce ' history. One easily forgets that when takes disturbingly little time to adit, we'll dis~ssit as a sad, bizarre ' dress the issue of the federal budget chapter in hum~n history whose last ~ Reagan entered office the Russians ~ were fighting,a brutal war in Afghanideficit and the national debt, both of pages are even now being written." ~. stan, the Polish govemment was crushwhich grew to unprecedented heights - Ronald Reagan, President of the ing the Solidarity movement on orders during his presidency. His thoughts, United States, 1981. and Fidel Castro was from Moscow, however, on the matter are well sum''It is a vulgar mistake to think that , exporting his' revolution to Nicaragua marized by a quote relating to his most people in Eastern Europe are misand El Salvador. governorship of California. "I was erable." Reagan received considerable learning that it was one thing to preach - Paul Samuelson, Nobel Laureate criticism from his liberal foes in Cona sermon about reducing the sjze of & Economist at MIT, 1981. gress, the press, and the European algovernment, another to put it into acAs intellectuals point out tirelies for his unwillingneSs to make contion when you're. fighting a hostile lessly, Ronald Reagan was no intelleccessions to unreasonable Soviet delegislature determined to expand it." tual. But he did revive the spirit of Rhetoric was an important aspect mands. It is sad and somewhat pacally trying to demonstrate his open America through his leadership. After of Reagan's leadership. He used it thetic to read about how his daughter, , rnindedness. eight years of stinging, cynical criti. more successfully on some fronts than oppoPatti, harangued Reagan for his After graduating from Eureka cism, Reagan helped many Amerion others. Whether or not his presisition to the "Nuclear Freeze" moveCollege, Reagan's star ascended cans, especially young Americans, dency wasa success is a question that ment. At her insistence, Reagan once quickly. Athletic experience helped in regain a pride in their country. landing a first job 'a s a sports anWhen Ronald Wilson Reagan benouncer. Reagan broke into Hollycame the 40th President, the United wood while cover~ng the Cubs' spring States faced its lowest morale si,nce the training in Los Angel~. ' depression. Following two decades of In Hollywood, Ronald Reagan racial strife, student violence, Vietwas propelled to the heights of fame nam, OPEC, and 444 days of agonizing and fortune. Th~ notoriety of conover the hostages in Iran, America was stantly placing oneself before the publosing faith in itself. In 1976 Jimmy lic allowed Reaganultimatelyto break Carter defeated Gerald Ford by braninto politics; " , ' " dishing the so::-called "misery index": In the late 1940sand early 19505 the inflation rate added to the unemwill have to remain for future historiagreed to meet with a noted Freeze Reagan was the president of the Screen ployment rate. During Carter's term, ans. Many pundits of the left have activist. Reagan was much chagrined ' Actors Guild. Being politically active, this rate doubled. Beginning in 1980, already branded it a disaster of unafterwards, however, when the supReagan was a member several other Reagan was able to help change some precedented proportions. This new posedly secret meeting turned into a civic organizations, which he later disof this. autobiography has received nary a media event thanks to the actiVist. ' covered, to his great cohsternation, to Reagan begins his auto-biogood review. Critic after critic trashes One of the most humorous epihave been communist front groups. graphical narrative with his early it, usually lambasting Reagan with sodes in the book is Reagan's story ofa "I joined just about any organizachildhood in rural Illinois. The story of petty personal accusations. visit by, the Prince and PrinCess of tion I could find that iguaranteed to , his pre-political life composes the,first Granted, this is no li terary masterWales., The Reagan's and the Royal save the world." , half of the book; and makes for the piece. It does reveal a interesting pertea in the couple had assembled for Though he criticizes McCarthymost interesting reading. Stories of sonality however. Reagan does not White House living quarters. Though ism~ Reagan considers communist inRonald Reagan's childhood and early compel with his intellect. Instead, his the Prince was "charming, full of life, filtration of Hollywood a significant adulthood provide insight int~ the and principles which firm beliefs and full of energy" he seemed disconevent in his becoming a conservative. ' formation of his character. Stories of struck a cord with the American certed and was "staring rather quizziA lot of 'liberals' just couldn't accept his administration are ones we have all people. He was a true leader in his It seems that somecally into his cup." the notion that Moscow had bad intenheard before, only this time casting ability to inspire others. If he inspired one had left the tea bag in the Prince's tions or wanted to take over HollyReagan in a positive light. .. you, read the book. cup. Later Reagan joked about it with wood and many other ' American inRonald Reagan's father, Jack, was Charles, who Said "I just didn't know dustries through subversion, or that a wily, alcoholic, Irish shoe salesman what to do with the bag." Stalin was a murderous gangster./I who never met with great success. Regarding his relationship with , Reagan makes the story of his tranClifton Gault is a senior in history Still, Reagan considers his life at home the Soviets, Reagan's presidency was and an assistant editor for the Ret1iew. sition from actor to politician appear as to have instilled him with the small unique in that the Soviet Union went if it were virtually seamless. In the town values that guided him well

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 14

Arts: Book Review

Michigan's Muse Strikes Thrice The Woman Lit By Fireflies Jim Harrison Houghton Mifflin! Seymour Lawrence Hardcover, $19.95 247 pgS.

by .Adam Garaglola A poet and prolific au thor living in the northwestern part of Michigan's lower peninsula, Jim Harrison has recently written The Woman Lit By Fireflies, a collection of three novellas, taking its name from the last piece of the work. The novellas are each separate works, having different characters, settings, and styles of narration. They do however share several common themes: relationships, self-awareness, and growth. In each work, Harrison examines the interaction of a non-confonnist with his peers and society. In "Brown Dog," the first novella, Harrison deals with the issue directly, from the point of view of the decidedly unconventional antagonist, Brown Dog, a free-spirited upper Michigan vagrant, who runs amuck while trying to defend the only thing he believes in~ Brown Dog, who got his name from an Indian neighbor as a youth, is an exBible school student who gets himself into trouble while trying to keep secret the location of a group of Indian burial mounds which a trio of anthropology graduate students from the University of Michigan are researching. B.D.'s story takes the fonn a carefully crafted series of recollections and digressions that not only .serve to structure the plot elements of the story, but also provide the reader with insights into the sometimes rough and tumble world of a man who never qui te found his proper place in life. For example, as B.D. recounts the events which led to his expulsion from Bible school, the reader learns about the character's impulsive traits and can begin to understand his current predicament. Harrison's ability to sympathetically portray a character with so many flaws speaks well for his ability as a writer. B.D. is the portraitofa rnanwho has failed to grow up, and yet when readers learn of the ups and downs of B.D.'s life, as Harrison relates them, they are likely to see B.D. as he sees himself: a victim of hard luck and unfortunate circumstances. At the same time, Harrison never lets the reader forget that much of the

trouble B.D. gets into is the result of his own lack of foresight and self-control. In this way he sets up a tension that draws the readers' sympathies in two directions: B.D. has good reason to prevent the students from learning the location of the secret burial mounds, as he gave his word to the Indian who showed them to him that he would preserve the secret and prevent desecration of the tombs. At the same time, the readers know that he brought the trouble on himself, by using the lure of his knowledge in order to seduce one

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THE WOMAN LIT BY FIREFLIES of the students. After being implicated in ~he burning of the students' campsite, ·he is pressured to divulge the location of the graves in order to avoid being sentenced to prison. In keeping with the light-hearted tone of the piece, the ending has a distinctly picaresque feel, as B.D. literally takes the money (given to him so he can leave town), and runs, using trickery to make sure his secret stays a secret. The second work, "Sunset limited," takes the opposite approach, focussing instead on how the lives of the friends of an aging rebel are affected when he finally gets into more trouble than he can handle. The story deals with a group of college friends, now in their forties, who are re-united when Mexican police imprison one of their number. Zip, the character in question, is a leftist radical, who, as Harrison writes, ''had an encyclopedic knowledge of all the world's injustices," and was prepared to fight every one of them. In their college days, his friends saw him as a leader and champion of justice, but by the time they learn of Zip's unhappy fate, they have all given up their idealistic beliefs and made

their way in the real world. The effort they are parked at a rest stop, unnoto save Zip is centered on Gwen, whois ticed by her husband, who is busy talknow an Arizona rancher. In helping ing to his stock broker on his car phone. Zip, she hopes perhaps to understand As she walks, the narrative follows her past, and reconcile her past idealright beside her like a mental camism with her present realism. The other corder, recording the stream of her characters seem more ambivalent thoughts, recollections and justificaabout the whole endeavor, a feeling tions for her act, while regularly panHarrison conveys through flashbacks ning around the landscape to put the which relate the past experiences of the narrative into the context of the progroup. gression of her walk. To the other characters, the wild Harrison goes on to relate her sta y and unrestrained time they spent as overnight in a com field, and in the decollege radicals was a period they scriptions of the surroundings prowould like to forget. Zip, however is vides the reader wi th a myriad of symthe group's only common link in the bolic properties. He guides the reader present, and in working to save him, through the complex process of Clare's the group gives their past a sense of vadeveloping self-knowledge, and filidity. nally to her embrace of freedom, a freeHarrison carefully orchestrates the dom that will no longer be abridged by interplay between the characters, enan overly protective and overly posgrossing the reader in the story of the sessive husband, who treats her like a circumstances surrounding Zip's imporcelain plaything. prisonment. Though a bit heavy on The narration of Clare's thoughts 19605 sentimentalism · and unsubtle and observations has a tendency to with its political overtones, "Sunset stumble over its own complexity, but Limited" is nonetheless an enjoyable ~he story is a rich one, deserving of a story. careful reading. The work concludes The last novella is about a couple with Clare finally finding her freedom living in BI09~elq tnlJs, a l'rDsper~ J a~<! !iberatingherself from Donald's ous suburb of Dett'dit: .rhe main.char-' iha\erialistic world and well-ordered . acter, Clare, is 'a 50 y~ar old "W()man; life: . married to Donald, a 51 year old invesHarrison is an author who has tor who is more inter~ted in money much to say about the workings of rethan in people, including his wife. lationships and the conflict of social Clare is afflicted bya sense of isoand personal values. The Woman Lit By lation, folloWing the deaths of her beSt Fireflies is a thoughtful and reflective friend and her beloved dog. She tries work that shows itself to be the prodto find solace in h~r visit to her uct of a talented and insightful writer. daughter, but the visit is marred by a fight between Donald and her Adam Garagiola is a Residential Coldaughter, who like herself, cannot lege sophomore in creative writing accept Donald's materialistic outlook. and comparative literature, and a 'On the way back from her staff writer for the Review. daughter's, Clare decides to run away, rather than remain Donald's lovestarved and neglected wife. She hikes off across the Iowa com fields while

Michigan Review Final Exam: Which of the following are true? a) We are the establishment. b) We are stronger than you know. c) We loathe Jenny Van Valey (wink, wink). d) We are not Politically Correct. To learn the answers, come to Suite Otie, Michigan League, at 7:00 p.m. on January 13, 1991, or call 662-1909.

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The Michigan Review, December 1990, p. 15

Arts: Record Review

The Eclectic Tunes of King's X by Mike Beidler King's X is no run-of-the-mill hard rock/metal band. Progressive rhythm changes, three-part vocal harmonies, soulful grooves, and crunchy guitar riffs mark this Texas based trio's music. King's X has successfully melded the intensity and grit of heavy metal with blues-based rock, and is reminiscent of many progressive rock bands such as Cream, Pink Hoyd, and Rush. The influences are noticeable, but the band has been careful to avoid using the musical and lyrical cliches of these artists. Not only does King's X utilize metal and bluesasa medium for spreading its message, the group also melds folk, gospel, and R&B in its albums. The world was rocked unsuspectingly with King's X' sdebut album Out of the Silent Planet in 1988. With the release of two singles, "King" and' "Shot of Love," the public was introduced to the band's monumental sound. In 1989, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska expanded and expounded this

sound, reaching the public air waves and MTV with two more singles, "Over My Head" and "Summerland." What is unusual abou t this band is not just their unusual blend of music, but their lyrics as well. The lyrics, written by all three members of the band do not focus on sex, drugs, and

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rock n' roll. Says bassist Doug Pinnick: "Sex is a personal thing and I think it's pretty important, but it's something that I don't like to sing and talk about. The things I like to talk about are what goes on inside-deep, deep inside-my heart. The lyrics just reflect thoughts, answers, questions, and feelings."

The music of King's X also features liberal doses of religious and spiritual imagery that is born of the personal and collective life experiences of each band member. The band members say little about their personal beliefs, but they make it quite clear that the music and the lyrics speak for themselves. With the release of faith hope love by king' 5 x the band takes anothe step forward in finding its musical roots sonically, thematically, and conceptually, offering a tremendous variety of material in the album's 13 tracks. The first track, "We Are Finding Who We Are," which is Pinnick's personal interpretation of funk, possesses some of the most soulful vocals Pinnick has recorded. The first single off FHL, "It's Love," is perfect for bringing new listeners into the musical realm of King's X. The song's strong guitar riffs and guitarist Ty Tabor's Beatle-esque vocals mark this album's high point. The band takes a tum in the direction of Pink Hoyd with "Mister Wilson" and "Six Broken Soldiers,"

which is drummer Jerry Gaskill's lead vocal debut. "Moan jam" provides a rare look at King's X's live jamming capabilities and is reminiscent of Van Halen. Pinnick expands his vocal capabilities with the pseudo-rap "We Were Born to Be Loved" and "Talk to You," which borders on thrash. The annoying and repetitious "I Can't Help It" is the only dissapointing track on the album, but the band redeems itself with three more songs: the nine-minute title track which embodies the concept behind the album, the haunting "Everywhere I Go," and the beautiful, acoustic "Legal Kill." Since 1980, King's X has toured with such big-name artist as Billy Squier, Blue Oyster Cult, and Robert Plant. At the moment, the band is touring in their home state of Texas, and then will tour Europe for a short time. In January King's X will embark on a tour of the United States. Mike Beidler is a junior in political science and a staff writer for the Review.

Faith No More is the Real Thing Faith No More Fox Theatre November 23,1990

by Chris Peters Faith No More's maelstrom of funk-metal shook the foundations of Detroit's elaborately ornamented Fox Theatre as the band blazed through a nine song set. FNM have passed through the Detroit area many times with the likes of Soundgarden and Voi vod in support of their 1989 release, The Real Thing, which has sold over a million copies. This performance was during a short tour with rock n' roll's legendary crooner, Robert Plant. . Faith No More is bound to pose a problem for those who are quick to catagorize. Not many bands today can have one half of the crowd dancing to a funky backbeat while the other half headbanging to distorted guita'r chords. Jeff Martin and Bill Gould, guitarist al,ld bassist respectively, chum out Sabbath-influenced riffs which are then funked up by thedruinmer Mike Bordin, a former student of African rhythms. Roddy Bottum, a classically trained pianist, adds a synthasined gothic and dronal twist while

Mike Patton's prang and florid vocal melodies soar beautifully over each piece. This varied and dashing chemistry sets the band apart from the school of bands fusing funk with heavy-rock, sl,lch as Primus, the Chili's, and Psychefunkapus. Patton, sporting a shirt reading "Remember Kids,Satan Loves You," flawlesslly ripped through the catchy· verses of the opener, "From Out Of Nowhere," and then proceeded to lead the band into the bass-heavy funk its the latest single, "FaIling To Pieces." A rendition of the tune''The Real Thing" incorporated a porion of Public Enemy's "911 IsA Joke." Later, Patton payed homage to the New Kids On The Block with a snippet of the ''The Right Stuff" in the middle of ''We Care Alot," a 1987 Faith No More anthem that became a dance club hit. The song-list also included a ravishing version of the groovy tune "Underwater Love," as well as a rendition of the bar room jazz number, "Edge Of The World." A mellow version of the Nestle song ("Sweet dreams are made of this ... N...;E-S-T-L-E-S") was quite impressive, as was "Sur. prise! You're Dead," a thrashy, Slayer-

style tune. The band ended the show with their MTV smash "Epic." Faith No More, Spin Magazine's Band Of The Year, has recently released You Fat Bastards, a live home video that includes many of the same songs and more. Also, keep an eye on

Mike Patton, a singer with an original disposition and vocal style. He may very well become the most influential vocalist of the decade. Chris Peters is freshmen in LSA and a staff writer for the Review. (")

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Arts: Concert Review

An Amorphous, Undulating Monster Jarie's~Ctdictlon latin Quaner November 28, 1990 by Crusty Muncher "Jane's Addiction is a big, kind of amorphous, undulating, slow moving monster. This is apparent when you see our live shows," noted Jane's Addiction bassist Eric A. from a Norfolk hotel, two weeks before the band's sold-out performance at the Latin Quarter in Detroit. "The music makes you sway; it's very tribal, which implies a frenzy or a primitiveness, and that is an important ingredient." The band opened their show with "Up The Beach," a hypnotic jam incorporating primitive vocal undertones, and then ventured into the bass-heavy psychedelia of "Whores." Guitarist Dave Navarro embellished the song with his Hendrix-influenced solos. "You look like guppies fighting for

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food," commented singer Perry Farrell as he observed the swarming crowd below him. Suddenly the band lurched into "Standing in the Shower ... Thinking," a tune from 1988' sNothing's Shocking album which incited an immediate violent havOC on the main floor. Sweating bodies vaulted and bounced off one another throughout the pounding funk of the following tunes, ''No One's Leaving" and "Ain't No Right," as well. The Los Angeles-based quartet, performing on a stage ornamented with tiny statues, toy dolls, candles, and portraits that resembled a ritualistic altar, changed the pace with a passionate version of the jazzy and emotional ''Then She Did" Versions of "Trip Away" and "Pigs in Zen" overflowed the aggression, and frustration that play such a vital role in the music of Jane's Addiction. "Tension is the magic of our mu-

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song. The climax of the perfonnance was "Three Days," an orgasmic song over ten minutes in length. At one point a lyrical ballad, it culminates into a ferocious and frenetic power-jam. Next in order wasa rendition of yet another power-jam, "Mountain Song." From there the band lurched into the funk of "Stop!," the first single from the Ritual De w Habitual album. The encore began with a steel drum/bongo solo from Perkins, evolving into the acoustic masterpiece of "Jane Says." The crowd bellowed along with Farrel, almost overpowering him. ''We're not going to be around for a long time, at least not as a foursome," says Eric. "We all see Jane's Addiction as a phase. It is better to be short lived and give it your all and then get out, instead of trying to salvage something."

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sic," said Eric. "We all have str.ong personalities with individual characteristics and when we come together there's a certain distance there, but there's a prominent connection. It might sound pretentious, but I think we are post-modem, an amalgamation of so many different styles." In a sense, he is right. The music of Jane's Addiction is bound together by the simple and dri ving basslines of Eric A. and the diversified rhythm patterns of drummer Stephen Perkins. While this pair provides the tribal edge to the music, Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro add a more contemporary and artistic flavor. "Been Caught Stealing," the band's latest single, highlighted the abilities of Perkins and the gyrating disco d(!ncing technique of Farrell, one of rock n' roll's most bizarre frontmen. In addition, Navarro provided a fleeting assault of psycho-blues licks to the

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