Newspaper Page Text
Pogc 4 Jhe Red and Black, Thursday, Oct. 1, 1970
Southern militancy
REBECCA LEET
Honest mud-slinging
Americans pride themselves on their
system of representative democracy
which, theoretically, permits voters to
determine the actions of their govern
ment through electing representatives of
similar philosophies to act for them
The representatives are chosen, ideal
ly based on their qualifications and their
vohng record (if they've held office pre
viously l or declarations of policy
Unfortunately, the system doesn't work
that way In the United States, it doesn t
matter so much what an elected official is
doing — it only matters what his constitu
ents think he's doing People vote based
on impressions, not facts If one candidate
can convince the public that his opponent
is of a particular leaning, that is what
people will believe even if there is no ba
sis for the conviction
Incumbent Congressman Fletcher
Thompson is using this technique in his
Filth District campaign against Andrew
Young in Atlanta Thompson obtained,
from ABC. a program thev had produced
and he's using it as part of an attempt to
paint Young as a radical, if not a revolu
tionary
The ABC program is edited in such a
wav that Young appears to be a supporter
“Those opposed. please raise your arms. . . . l ip!"
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Credence through candor
For the lirsl time in the Southeast
there will be a regional meeting in
Atlanta this weekend to coordinate
anti-war activities throughout the
legion lor lull As with many ul the
regional and the national anti war
conferences across the country last
vear this one is being sponsored b\
the local Student Mobilization Com
mittee i SMC or Student Mobe i
Like most other of the SMC anti
war conferences, the focus of the
meeting will be action, not political
programs or policies Whether that is
the actual result ol the conference
will be another thing Adhering to the
Student Mobe s unbrella method ol
operation the conference will bring
together divergent dissident and mi-
noritv groups women s liberation
third world liberation gav liberation.
Kevolutionarv Youth Movement, other
socialist amt communist-oriented
groups For these groups anti war
protests are a good way of directing
simultaneous attention to their par
tieular interests
This conference indicates a level of
political and organizational develop
ment in the South in the in>ist con
servative region ol the nation mill
tanis are now sufficiently organized
to be able to hold such a conference
It was only a matter ol time As with
so mam social and political trends
the South merely took a little longer
to get going
This organizational level should be
especiallv noted b\ those close to uni
versify and college communities
last spring should have been a warn
ing to mans around the state that
(ieorgia mas not always remain
quiet This show of strength by an ac
tivist group is just the tip of the ice
berg of potential strength that exists,
especiallv in Atlanta The Revolution
ary Youth Movement 1RYM1 has its
national headquarters in Atlanta One
of the top leaders >n it is a voung man
who was the most charismatic student
leader on this campus in vears and
was central figure in the 19H8 Aca
demic Buildim. sit-ins Another RYM
worker is also a former UGA radical
leader Young Socialist Alliance
iYSAi is getting stronger in Atlanta
In addition, some RYM people are
also involved in the Communist Party
there
Most Southerners will, no doubt
interpret this development as a
threat The Risl and Black is not sure
this is a correct impression The abili
ty of radical and even revolutionary
groups to (unction and recruit in the
South indicates that Southern voung
people mav be shaking off some of the
dogmatism which has so often result
ed in stagnation in the South
Receptivity to totally new ideas —
not necessarily acceptance but recep
tivity — will How over into all areas of
Southern hie and as these young peo
ple go out to fill places of responsibili
ty in the region, they will carry with
them an openness to new ideas which
may mean a more progressive luture
for the South
TO THE EDITOR:
At a time when people are becoming
politically more aware, a newspaper loses
credibility when readers believe them
selves to be manipulated on behalf of the
unage of "objectivity" Many reporters
by to make editorial puints between the
lines of their objectivity, inserting surrep-
Utiously what should be written with can
dor
Adherence to this so-called balance
reporting, in fact stabilizes the worst fea
tures of an inequitable system Propo
nents of this type ol newspaper point to
their presentation of ' facts'' in a pro and
con balanced manner that is. always try
to get the other side ol the story, even for
just a couple of lines Those who see them
Disruption
and reform
TO THE EDITOR
There las been much talk ul possible
demonstrations and or disruptions on
campus this year At the risk of sounding
like Agnew. I venture for the upmian that
these would be fatal to any reforms sought
by the students involved
It is an established fact that peaceful
dissent is an integral part of any demo
cratic society However it is also a known
fact that there is a strong "back lash'
movement in both society and politics
Student support on major issues today
is generally unwanted The "Get the
Kids'' idea is fast becoming a political
rallying point today ihe reason for these'
obviously distorted views is the concep
tion of student riots
There are many things that need to be
changed in society Common examples
are exploitation and persecution of minor
ities. polluUon by industry , and inloler
ance These issues need to be worked (or.
even though they may never be solved
Riots, though, will never solve anything
Rhetoric is a common weapon, used by
both extremes of the political spectrum
The useless angewisms' and inane de
mands for revolution only cloud the protv
leins and polarize the people We would all
be better off i‘ we approached today's so
ctal dilemmas sensibly and openlv
DON WHITE
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selves as recorders of facts should be con
fined to factual sections of the paper —
accidents, sports meetings and deaths -
and those who want to use tacts to expose
larger issues should not be burdened with
a technician s job
Advocacy, on the other hand, openly
admitted, requires not only an exposure of
self, but a willingness to achieve profes
sional credibility Not only would the re
porter be held lor his competence, but
readers would be able to take issue with
the reporter, not that of a sterile non-re
sponding editorial
The apprehension toward advocacy
journalism is great on the part of the
newspapers Such a paper would put an
end to the type of journalistic balance that
permits a kind of personal anonymity
Reporters could no longer evade personal
responsibility for their work, claiming
only to be a technician of the news
The key element in advocacy journalism
is personal risk As in all things, risk re
quires that one becomes a social partici
pant. not a mere observer F’or the Red
and Black to become such a participant
regures that reporters and editors stick
their necks out The cynicism and apathy
toward such newspapers will not be eradi
cated until journalists are willing to take
such responsibility
Finally, if the Red and Black is to make
itself credible it must abandon the Ameri
can press's facade of impartiality News
papers no less than universities must be
seen as instruments of either social
change or that of stagnation Neutrality is
conceivable only in poliUcal vacuum and
nothing is more political than a newspa
per The European press has known this
for a long time, as evidenced in one of the
world s greatest newspapers - Le Monde
The position of this paper is best seen in
Ihe words of one of its editors "We are
proud."' said the editor, "not of our objec
tivity. but of our independence and our
fervor (or commitment.'' These are
words that the Red and Black should
dearly put to print
DALE HARDMAN
Quality
TO THE EDITOR:
The manifest quality of the University
of Georgia student is demonstrated in
debaUng societies, the literatory fields, in
the laboratories, class rooms, research
experiment cents, law forums, libraries,
academic councils and chapels Each year
the schools and colleges of the system
reassure the futur. with thousands of
graduated degrees in quality educaUon.
that our State is "Safe for Democracy'"
and that things shall not go to pot" for
Americany's way of life Every year the
University declares a dividend.not in dol
lars but in " sense "
Dormant
TO THE EDITOR:
Sometime, when you have nothing to do
and are too wide awake to sleep, lake a
walk around the University late at night
of the Black Panthers As Young has said
ABC edited out the portion of film where
he explained that his whole life and work
has been dedicated to winning freedoms
for black people through non-violent
means He was one of Dr Martin Luther
King Jr s close lieutenants in the South
em Christian Leadership Conference
hardly a radical organization
Moreover, the ABC program made
Young look like a revolutionary (to some
people' bv asking him an absurdly hypo
thetical question Young was asked if he
would accept the destruction of Western
Civilization if such a downfall would save
the rest of tile world Young said he sup
posed he probably would The question i
ridiculous to begin with and one wonders
what kind of person would answer other
wise
But that's not the reaction Thompson is
counting on from the voters He is insult
ing the populace with his attempt to mold
their opinions through the use of absurdi
ties.
A journalism student, getting a story
for an Atlanta radio station, recently
turned the tables on Thompson Realize*
the ABC question to Young had been an
impossible and extreme hypothetical situ
ation. this student decided to try the op
posite extreme on Thompson
During the interview, he asked Thomp
son if he would favor the enslavement of
the rest of the world if such enslavement
would advance Western civilization
Thompson's angry reaction, according to
the student, was to shout That's a plant
ed question! right into the microphone
The question had been planted — not by-
Young's campaign workers but by one in
telligent person who realized the unfair
use Thompson was making of a totally
absurd question
As an incumbent, one might have
thought that Thompson would have at
least started his campaign with a listing
of the legislation he has supnorted and
how i! has reflected the wishes of his con
stituents. Maybe, after the Carter-Sand
ers race, he believes the only way he can
win is by slinging mud instead of issues
If such is the nature of politics, realism
dictates that he must then sling mud to
gel elected But at least he can be honest
in his mud-slinging and not think so little
of his constituents that he would try to win
their votes through tricking them with
absurdities
reassuring
That small group of iconoclast who
creep into any school and wo play " Lon
don Bridge" so they'll be noticed are a ery
small minority without a flag at the Uni
versity. plus that more rare phenoruno
non.the social sophisticate who demon
strates his brilliance with alcoholic or
drug abuse while he wastes parental toler
ance in a futile pursuit of happiness
doesn't have to be disciplined: he weeds
himself out Symphalhetically. Alma
Mater can only advise papa and mama
that. "The University doesn't make fooLs:
it only develops them "
GORDON W CHAMBERS
octopus
Not just after dark - wait unUl the late
sounds have stopped and the early ones
• haven't begun before you venture out
The change in the campus ui fantastic
It is hard to believe tha anything could
have caused theocotopus that is the Uni
versity to lie so dormant, even for only a
few hours
Traffic lights blink red and green need
lessly. and one can cross almost any
street without employing the All-Ameri
can broken field running tactics usually
necessary during daylight hour The air
seems cleaner loo - but mavbe that s just
imagination and not due to the tact that
ten thousand automobiles are also sleep
ing
The buildings on campus sleep at night,
but they breathe heavily Even the dark
ness cannot mask their imposing appear
ance. and they always have an eye or two
open as a reminder that they sleep only
slightly
All the drama is gone from the Uiuver-
sitv late at night - or perhaps it onlv
moves trom the campus itself into the
heads of the people hidden inside the
sleeping buildings That must be where
the University goes at night - the people
carry it home with them to iJeep Ai. Un
people that IS. except those who can for
get about the Octopus-and I or get and for
get that the next morning the Octopus will
be there again woe and awake reads and
able to eat them up
R C
Sudden changes
The University is considering alter
ing the academic calendar for next
year They must, by mid-October,
decide what calendar they are going
to use
A DIALOGUE task force on calen
dar revision said today that, after
studying the various plans being
mulled over by the administration,
they have listed the ones they feel
would be most preferable to the Uni
versity community
The Red and Black hopes that the
administration will not rush into
changing the calendar for next year
without intensive study Vice Presi
dent George Partheinos is setting up
a committee to study the plans fur
ther There is a possibility that, in
stead of planning the calendar for the
next two years as is customarily done,
the University may set up a calendar
just for next year to allow time to in
vestigate the options further
The Red and Black endorses this
idea of allowing one more year's tune
to study several plans The issue of
altering the calendar has become promi
nent abruptly There lias not been suffi
cient time tor everyone to study the ideas
The Red and Black feels that a fac
ulty and student referendum should
he held before any final decisions are
made on changing the calendar This
is an issue which would affect over
20.000 people and we feel those people
should have an opportunity to say
what they think about it.
Four options, basically, are availa
ble One is to keep the present calen
dar of ending fall quarter before
Christmas, having next to no break
between winter and spring quarters,
ending spring quarter in early June
and running a nine-week summer ses
sion
A second option is the LaGrange
plan This is the plan ranked first
choice by the DIALOGUE group
Under this plan, fall would start ear
lier and end before Thanksgiving
School would be out the five weeks
from Thanksgiving through New
Years The rest of the year would be
about the same as it is now
The third plan is the Danner plan
F'all quarter would again start earlier
and end before Thanksgiving Winter
quarter, however, would follow
Thanksgiving break and. after Christ
mas vacation, would end in February
There would be a week s break be
tween winter and spring quarters rid
spring quarter would end in May. al
lowing summer session to run a lull
ten weeks
But these are problems and possi
bilities that have been around as long
as the present system has existed. It
might be good to change the calendar
to remedy some problems But The
Red and Black does not understand
the urgency with which this possibili
ty is being approached and is skepti
cal of a sudden push to change the set
up
Many have said that the proposed
changes might not have come up so
quickly if the football team hadn't
contracted for an eleventh game
starting next year and running for 10
years The extra game would be at
home and. under the present calen
dar. would be played a week before
the school or dorms open Some don't
like the idea of many students coming
up for the game and having no place
to stay.
The Red and Black is not arguing
either for changing or retaining the
present system We have not had suf
ficient time to study each plan
However. The Red anti Black is
leary of any attempt to make hurried
and ill-planned changes in the calen
dar We again say we hope that no
change will be made in the calendar
(or next year so that interested
groups and individuals will have ade
quate time to study the options
Satellite services
The Red and Black applauds two
different areas of the Office of Stu
dent Affairs for their recent moves to
make themselves more available to
students
In the area of advising. Student
Affairs recently opened two satellite
offices in an attempt to "go to the
student One office is in Park Hall
and the other is in the Forestry Build
ing
Stuck up at the end of North Uam-
pus in the Academic Building, the Off
ice of Student Affairs is somewhat
removed from students They are fur
ther removed by the image that too
many students have of Student Affairs
personnel being nothing but discipli
narians
These administrators do work with
discipline cases, but much of that
workload is now shared with the Stu
dent Judiciary
Actually, most of the time ol these
administrators is spent counseling —
helping students work out problems
with the draft, advising students with
personal problems or referring them
to appropriate other counselor
working with faculty members and
students when students are out of
classes because of an emergency, and
soon
The Red and Black encourages stu
dents to take advantage of these satel
lite offices
The Red and Black also endorses
the restarting, for this year, of the
student-faculty-admimstrator lunch
eons begun by Dean Louise McBee,
associate dean of student affairs for
programs The weekly lunches, from
noon to 2 p m on Wednesday in the
Bulldog Room, can be a valuable op
portunity for students, faculty and
administrators to gather and talk
The lunches are totally open and
any student, faculty or administrator
can spend two minutes or two hours
there as others drift in and out of the
discussions This is an excellent op
portunity for those interested in true
dialogue to engage in some
The Red and Black believes the
reactivating of this luncheon practice
from last year indicates there are
many on this campus from all three
constituencies who sincerely seek
contact with one another
Rebecca Leet, Editor
Jo Ann Rock, Steve Stewart,
Business Manager Managing Editor
W. F. Toh. copy tofttOf, Money Hoi, ftowi tditoc Coo Howt, ftolvr* «ditor,
Bob Giles. H>ort» ed.tor ; Marvin Kotin, pfcotogrophic editor, SHaryn Kane
ond Patrice Wolten. associate news editors.
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