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Show Friday, April 23, 1971 ACUlTY SIGNPOST Page 5 By Norrls Bancroft Black power! Chicano power! White power! The fad today is for more power for more groups in more ways. A primary underlying motive behind these power plays is an attempt to establish group identity and to help the individual within each particulate group to find and maintain a higher level of self-esteem. Separatism and segregation are key and necessary processes by which these objectives may be met and may be healthy psychologically, sociologically and in a variety of other ways for the group and its constituent individual members. However, when carried to extremes these same processes lead to corruption of the very character of the individual, the group and of the society of mankind as a whole. Improving oneself is a necessary beginning, but this self-interest ought to have more than 'self or 'group' for its end. That is, self-improvement is a means to group improvement, which is the means for societal improvement, which, in turn, is the means for improvement of the species as a whole. This same process of improvement must be simultaneously oriented towards other life forms as well; towards the preservation of some sort of ecological balance of not only man with man, but man with the remainder of nature. The struggle is not, as we may have been indoctrinated to believe, one of man against nature, rather it is one of man In nature, man and nature, man with nature! Other common myths are that only man wages aggressive combat against his own species, and that only man has 'language,' or that man is the epitome of all creation since he alone is created in the "Maker's" image. To adopt these, as well as other common myths and misconceptions, is not only egocentric and ignorant, but dangerous. Many animals in nature are aggressive, and under certain conditions of crowding, food shortage, etc., also combat one another for life-sustaining commodities. Indeed, the reproductive cycle itself is one of the most heavily contested conquests in most species, human or otherwise. Furthermore, most, if not all, animal species could be said to have a 'language' or symbol system of some sort whereby they communicate with one another and other species. In fact, what we refer to as 'inorganic' nature itself has a very definite language, if man were only intelligent enough, or interested enough, to learn it. Since man has by and large learned to dominate much of the remainder of nature, it is an interesting working hypothesis to postulate that a thorough examination of nature will provide a good indicator of 'where man's head is at.' Even a cursory examination will inform you that nature is "sick," that is, polluted. Nature has been constantly exploited and abused by man, hence it is not at all surprising that man should also display a pattern of exploitation and abuse towards his own fellows, indeed, towards himself as well. An increasing pattern of hostile and aggressive behaviors towards other peoples through war, crimes against the person and property, and through rising drug abuse of alcohol-type, nicotine-type,bar-bituate-type, amphetamine-type and narcotic-type give ample testimony of where man's head is at, and that appears to be in that well-known body orifice he so frequently makes reference to when instructing his neighbor where to 'put it.! Much is being written and said about discrimination, prejudice, and inequities perpetuated by one group against another. Rationalizations of biological, psychological, political, economic, religious and philosophical origin are made to support each and every group's particular interests and arguments. In fact, most of the groups use very similar rationalizations to support diametrically opposing ideologies! Niether history, nor current behavioral practices would indicate that any 'racial,' ethnic, or other group has a monoply on intelligence, humanitarianism, or any other virtue. Each and every 'race' or ethnic group has, at some time in the history of man-on-Earth, held a great deal of power over certain other 'races' and ethnic groups, and has exploited and abused them for its own benefit. The history of power does not change radically with time, nor with the particular group that holds and wields power; the game remains essentially the same, nor do the players change, only the relative positions and geographical locus change from time to time. Man has, unfortunately or fortunately, depending upon how you choose to view it, in addition to the ability to obtain great power, the intelligence and cunning to wield that power over the remainder of life on Earth, including his own species. He appears to be outwitting himself of late, however, in that his own power is the very instrument of his own destruction - through pollution, war, racism, and diverse other forms of socio-psychological destruction. Lest this seem too depressing a picture, remember that man has also the capacity for good equal to that for evil, and he can therefore raise himself, along with the remainder of his world to new heights of safety, comfort and equality, to a new ecological balance in which all things operate in harmonious fashion to the good of all. He can, that is, once be begins to realize that power should be for all the people. That is, after all, what the concept of democracy is supposed to be all about, government of the people, by the people, and for the people. A final note for those of you who feel the struggle for power, for government, or for justice is all too complex and overwhelming. Think of this: Beaneath the feet of man exisits a vast and infinitely complex microcosm. So, too, above the head of man exists a vast and infinitely complex macrocosm. Like the insects beneath our feet, we, too, are insects beneath the feet of some larger "being;" like the grains of sand beneath our feet, the Earth is a grain of sand beneath the feet of some larger "being." Furthermore, postulation of a Divine Being is not even necessary, and perhaps even unwise in attempting to view or explain what this is all about. It sometimes seems that if man would leave the macrocosm and the after-life to the concern of those that inhabit that realm, and attend more specifically to the microcosm and this life in which we live now, he might realize that he creates his own heaver or hell right here on Earth. Rather than waiting for "God" or whatever to do it for him, he ought to pull his head out of the well-known orifice and put it where it belongs - on top of his shoulders!! That book is something else Editor, Signpost: I am writing to protest a text book, Child Development and Personality (Mussen, Conger and Kagan) used on this campus. I have several complaints against it. The book promulgates racial and cultural stereotypes (Black girls are less prepared for menarche than whites-p. 617, lower class have lower IQ's-p. 92, lower class have less intellectual stimulation-pp. 92, 349, etc.) it also has some gross falsehoods. Page 349, the lower class child "grows up in a home almost completely lacking in intellectual stimulation and achievement orientation," and page 496, lower middle class mothers are "less affectionate"... "than upper middle class mothers." There is still another gross error in this book. Pages 431-32, it says that "the higher frequency of eidetic imagery among the mentally retarded and the Ibo might be the consequences of inadequate language resources..." Anyone who has taken a class from the fine WSC Anthropology Department knows that there is no such thing as "inadequate languages resources." And to speak of the Ibo (the founders of the short lived state of Biafra) in the same sentence and context as the mentally retarded is a racist slur. Last but not least, the text is full of enough typographical errors to make us want to discard it on those grounds alone. Page 417, in the second paragraph from the bottom, are five typographical errors. Page 715, we are introduced to a new word, "og." And page 443, 5th line from the bottom taxes our imagination-these to name a few. I am in hopes that the Psychology Department will drop this text and find a book written for the 20th century intellectuals we all claim to be. Sincerely, Kerry William Bate Destructive Technology Editor, Signpost: In answer to those people who cry that technology is destroying our environment and who demand that it be abandoned or restricted, I will point out that technology destroys only when it is used irrationally; and that the irrational use of technology is due to the ethical precepts (or lack of them) by which men make their value-judgments. A case-in-point is the pollution of air, land and water by "modern day" industrialists who have accepted the erroneous idea that free enterprise means freedom to pollute. Obviously, such an idea and its results are destructive to free enterprise (which takes the blame) and to human health; the answer is not the restriction of productive activities, but the education of producers as to the irrationality of destroying the property and health of all citizens. The proper role of government in the area of pollution is the definition and enforcement of rules which preserve and protect the "rights" of everyone involved: a role which, to date, the government has failed to assume with a desired degree of precision, fairness and consistency. As concerned citizens, we should all be working to keep our clean air and our magnificent technology, rather than assuming it must be one or the other. Karl J. Bray Chairman Students of Objectivism On fhe other hand Gentlemen (and Gentlewomen) I noted the objectivist movement on campus last week while at the Utah Academy and would like to add 2 cents worth of confusion. I wish to very strongly endorse the concepts of "Egoism" (note NOT Egotism) and objectivism. I wish that we had some such activity at Dixie College. There is one fact, however, that has been overlooked by both sides. When Mr. Bray stated "there is no reason to believe in the existence of God." He was correct as far as he went. The rest of the statement should follow "There is no reason to believe in the NONEXISTENCE of God either." This leaves us exactly nowhere and free to believe as we please. Several years ago I saw an elegant and lengthy "proof" (It was not air tight) that the word God can not be connected in the same sentence with any observable without a logical contradition. The Mysticism which Mr. Bray so correctly condemns is the result of accepting some such statement and the logical contradictions lead, sooner or later, to such absurdities as the Spanish Inquisition, Puritanism, and "welfarism." The Atheistic counter-part results in a similar contradiction as evident in Stalinism, Hitlerism and the totalitarianism of the present Marxist world. In other words both extremes are bad. James H.L. Lawler St. George, Utah Oeber tte 1 1 1 ltp0St 7T KIPIlAtNTIO FOR National Educational A Dlvl tusn i oiaarr QO Lexington Av NATIONAL. AOVKRTISINa BY A Advertising Service !) ion of r alss turner, inc. r ., Maw Yorte, N. Y. 1QQ17 If Published weekly by the Associated Students of Weber State College during fall, spring and winter quarters. Entered as second class mail at the Ogden, Utah, Post Office. Mailing address; Weber State College, 3750 Harrison Blvd., Ogden, Utah. The opinions-expressed on the editorial pages of the Signpost do not neces sarily represent those of the studentbody or the administration. Letters to the editor must not exceed 250 words and must be signed to be considered for publication. Editor-in-Chief Jeannie Young Business Manager . . 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