The Rice Thresher, Vol. 92, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, December 3, 2004 Page: 3 of 20
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THE RICE THRESHER
OPINION
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2004
Guest column
• Religious right wallows in hypocrisy
Last November the Massachusetts
Supreme Court ruled that banning
same-sex marriage would be un-
constitutional. I recall my mother's
disgruntled reaction that
day and her assumption,
following the Democratic
primaries, that an irreli-
gious John Kerry would
back the ruling. I was
able to convince her the
latter simply was not true,
but her view underlines
the religious obstinacy
and hypocrisy in the U.S.
political scene.
Even with the 2004
election behind us, I do
not see an end anywhere in sight.
Pollsters disagree about the extent,
but all confirm that so-called "moral
values" were more significant than
expected in this past election.
In an age of terror, I suppose this
is not surprising. To quote a friend,
"It's a good time to be a pastor." But
something tells me some politicians
may have been daydreaming in
church during the "love your neigh-
bor as yourself' part. There is no
better example than Republican Alan
Keyes, who in 2004 ran to represent
Illinois in the U.S. Senate.
Having suffered the largest
U.S. Senate election defeat in Illinois
history, the Maryland carpetbagger
refused to congratulate victor Barack
Obama. Doing so, he said, would be
acknowledging the "triumph of that
which I believe ultimately stands
for and will stand for a culture evil
enough to destroy the very soul and
heart of my country." He was prob-
ably referring to Obama's pro-choice
stance, which, Keyes claimed, would
have prevented Jesus from voting for
the democrat.
When he appeared on a cable
Faraz
Sultan
news show during his campaign,
however, Keyes labeled Obama a "so-
cialist and a liar. "Wouldn't Jesus take
the socialist? Whatever happened to,
"When you give a feast, in-
vite the poor, the maimed,
the lame, the blind, and
you will be blessed." A
more literal interpretation
would ask which political
party is fighting the war
on poverty, and the answer
is neither.
But hypocrisy from the
right is more than labeling
democrats as socialists; it's
using the term 'liberal" pejo-
ratively and cherry-picking
the Bible to support purportedly moral
values. Congressman Jim DeMint (R-
S.C.), for instance, recently suggested
that openly gay teachers should not
be teaching in public schools since
they do not share the conservative
state's values. A more extreme ex-
ample is Senator-elect Mel Martinez
(R-Fla.), whose campaign criticized
fellow conservative Bill McCollum
for pandering to a "radical homo-
sexual lobby" amid support for hate
crimes legislation.
Perhaps we can extend the bibli-
cal message of the story of Sodom
— to give up one's virgin daughters
if attacked by an angry mob — to fit
right-wing stereotypes of gays cor-
rupting the institution of marriage
and the family. But how often do we
hear public figures denouncing the
embarrassing divorce rate among
heterosexual marriages? How about
infidelity rates? Heck, if we're going
to cherry-pick the Bible, conservative
Christians should be making them-
selves eunuchs for the Kingdom of
Heaven. Anyone for self-castration?
Maybe that is unfair, but politi-
cians must keep consistency in mind
when referencing religion. Nishta
Mehra's recent column ("Tolerance
means accepting religious kids, too,"
Nov. 19) accused secular liberal-
ism of the same sort of inexorable
evangelism. To my chagrin, she has
a point, and the left needs to relax.
But maybe if we saw more "judge
not lest you be judged" or "blessed
be the peacemakers" sentiment com-
ing from President George W. Bush
and other "moral" conservatives,
religion would not be branded as
a dogmatic, ambiguous tool of the
right wing to promote hate-filled
agendas.
And likewise secularism would
cease to be a euphemism for Godless
socialism. In light of the government's
burgeoning evangelical voice, we
on the left are concerned about the
future of Roe v. Wade, the teaching of
creationism in public schools, stem
cell research and a spiritual overtone
to the war on terror.
... conservative
Christians should be
making themselves
eunuchs for the
Kingdom of Heaven.
But for the next four years, my
mom and I can agree on one notion:
"May God bless the world." We'll
disagree about the meaning but recite
the same words in another: "May God
help America."
Faraz Sultan
College junior.
is a Sid Richardson
Guest column
On-campus music scene a community event
I have a problem with the live mu-
sic scene at Rice. Like many people
a around here, I'm in a band.
It's not very glamorous. It's a rat race:
we write some songs, rehearse, put
up posters, play empty basements
and cafeterias, tell our friends it's cool
that they can't come. Even
large events like Wiess
Jamfest are poorly attend-
£ ed, considering the thou-
sands of students will tin
shouting distance. We see
the same few bands at the
same few events working
hard but not working
together. Given our re-
sources, it makes no sense
0 that we do not have a vital
and exciting scene.
What's wrong? I
though t everybody loved
music. We listen to CDs (alone, in
our rooms, on our computers).
We've got our headphones on
^ (between classes, on the bus, so
™ we don't have to talk to anybody).
Rice is full of talented musicians
of every kind, but nobody is really
interested. We would rather get our
music pumped iri from Los Ange-
les, etched in plastic or encoded
in binary We have forgotten that
a music can be more than an instant
^ dose of entertainment, more than
iPod wires snaking in our clothing
like an IV from a drip bag. We have
forgotten that music can exist as
an expression of community, as a
happy activity, as a way for people
to spend time together.
£ We, your friends who play mu-
sic, have forgotten that, too. 1 do not
really want to go into a lot of detail
about my crimes of poserhood, but
let's just say I have worn a guitar in
my Facebook photo, and I plan my
stage outfits to look unplanned. 1
have sung songs that mean nothing
0 to me, and when I turn up my gear
loud enough, I like to pretend I'm
the real deal.
Elliot
Cole
The rock star thing does not
work, for a local scene. By copying
the "professionals," we make a nice
spectacle, but it's fundamentally lop-
sided and alienating. It is based on
the consumer-provider relationship,
which is cold. It is not community,
it is not friendship, and it
is not what we're here for.
What we can have here is a
scene built around informal
exchange, which is differ-
ent; it's warm and rich and
real and ours.
Listen, I'm tired of treat-
ing you, my friends and fu-
ture friends, like the target
of my marketing strategy,
like circus-goers I have to
entice over to my booth. I
am not McDonald's. I am
not the world's smallest
man. I am just this guy who goes
to school here. By starting a band,
I hope to enrich and enjoy the com-
munity. When I'm trying to be a
spectacle, I feel just as distant from
you as you feel from me. That's not
what I want.
gether sharing guitars and swapping
songs, art and food. Maybe it will
work. If not, let's keep looking.
I'm partial to local music, but there
are certainly other avenues too. It
doesn't matter what: I am convinced
that the time we spend together shar-
ing our lives is "the life of significant
soil" beneath everything worth hav-
ing in this world. I also think we don't
do enough of that here.
Let's stop letting other people
invent fun for us and start inventing
it for ourselves.
Elliot Cole is a Baker College sopho-
Let's just say I have
worn a guitar in my
Facebook photo...
I would much rather you bring
your friends, and I'll bring mine,
and we'll all go hang out together. And
we'll make music, because it makes
us happy, and it brings us together.
The Science Bear Arcade, per-
forming at the D)vett Undergrounds,
is one event that should cut the rock
star crap. Without a stage or fancy
gear, without a light show, and without
separating performer from audience,
we'll just be friends hanging out to-
Rice voices
Judge teachers by their
abilities, not skin color
Ohio's Oberlin School District
considered enlisting a white
teacher to teach a combined U.S.
history/African American history
high school course last
year. The black teacher,
who formerly taught a
black history class, was
not licensed to teach the
combined class. Follow-
ing an uproar led by
angry community activ-
ists like Phyllis Yarber
Hogan, the district was
forced to allow the black
teacher to teach the com-
bined class, following
his certification.
Hogan, a member of the
Oberlin Black Alliance for Prog-
ress, said she thought it would
be "better to cancel [the black
history course] if it is going
to be taught by a white." She
went on to say, "When you talk
about slavery, students need to
understand it is not our fault. ...
How do you work through that
when the person teaching it is
the same type of person who did
the enslaving?" The Ohio case
and its implications make it clear
that the concerns of Hogan and
others are unfounded and may
even constitute a form of racism
themselves.
Does a white teacher who
teaches black history in any
way compromise the quality of
education?The answer is clearly
no. In fact, adopting the minor-
ity teacher/minority subject
mindset itself can be considered
a form of racism with innumer-
able negative ramifications.
As a result, academia suffers,
students are sent conflicting
messages, and race suddenly
becomes more important than
teaching skills.
Hogan's comments are based
on faulty reasoning; she is
holding the white teacher re-
sponsible for actions he did
not commit. By describing the
teacher as "the same type of
person who did the enslaving,"
she is ascribing certain traits
to the teacher just because he
is white. It is unlikely that this
teacher supports slavery, and
therefore, it is unfair to deny his
teaching ability just because of
the color of his skin.
The argument that only minor-
ity teachers should teach minority
subjects is based on the assump-
Noorain
Khan
tion that history is more than just
"the facts," and that its dissemina-
tion relies on teachers who decide
which subjects to cover and which
books to use. These de-
cisions are undoubtedly
shaped by the teacher's
personal experiences.
True, a black teacher
would have unique
perspectives to draw
from, but it is unfair to
say that a white teacher
would be unable to of-
fer other unique, albeit
inherently different,
perspectives. Clearly,
each teacher has valu-
able strengths to bring to the
classroom.
More specifically, if one
agrees that only black teachers
should be able to teach black
history, then this argument
may be extended to other dis-
ciplines. For example, should
Islamic Studies be taught only
by Muslims? Or how about just
by non-Muslims? It comes down
to this: Both perspectives are es-
sential to have a more complete
view of the subject.
The last thing we
should do is argue
over the race of
students' teachers.
Hogan was incorrect in stat-
ing it is better not to offer black
history at all if taught by a white
teacher. The societal benefits of
teaching black history to all stu-
dents, irrespective of the race of
the teacher, are endless. Students
will critically analyze previous
mistakes and try to understand
a rich and diverse culture with a
deep history omitted from past
classes. This discipline is too
important to leave out because
of the race of the teacher.
In schools today, students are
taught that one cannot dismiss
someone on the basis of race.
The last thing we should do is
argue over the race of students'
teachers.
Noorain Khan is a Martel College
junior.
the Rice Thresher
Iindsey Gilbert & Jonathan Yardley
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Gilbert, Lindsey & Yardley, Jonathan. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 92, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, December 3, 2004, newspaper, December 3, 2004; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398440/m1/3/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.