OCR Text |
Show jji L""""HHJWJ-. .'3mmm','W J in m ii ii i ! i pi . i i n i in i ipn I! . I'LL I . n 1 1 impifijji im miii j i i i i 1 1 i immm. I ' 1 mim ' n i . mm nn mi ma ni jiim mi m i ni i i iimh p i u i ill i i m n H i U,Jj)PF W II HP" mjn i.nnpBHMWnmnM jEj- ' rtri :aT.Til35' Vl'jlttagj.y jy j H f'l'j' OpiMcii)M Signpost VIEWPOINT Emphasis on multicultural education a step toward truth Why all the sudden emphasis on multicultural education? All this rhetoric about diversity and multiculturalism isn't it just another step toward the mindless abyss of political correctness? After all, this is America "we" shouldn't have to learn about foreigners, they should have to learn about "us," right? But, who are "we?" And who are "they" this bothersome bunch who keeps trying to impose their language, culture and ideas on "us." Well, it is certainly easy enough to figure out who we are we are Americans. You know baseball, mom and apple pie. We speak English, we wear jeans, we love our flag. Our ancestors were the forefathers of this country. George Washington was one of us and so was Abraham Lincoln. But what about them? Who are they? Why can't they act like real Americans? And if they don't like it here, why don't they go back to where ever they came from? Let's talk about "them." "They" are the Native Americans whose ancestors lived and prospered on this land hundreds of years before our so-called founding fathers ever set foot here. They are Americans, both legally and culturally. Their languages, their art, their literature, their scientific knowledge and their culture are not only an important part of our history, but an integral of today's society. "They"are Americans of Spanish-Indian descent who also lived and prospered in the Western United States for hundreds of years before that land was claimed as U.S. territory. Within a generation, white Americans came to believe they had always owned the land and had an inalienable right to be there. Mexican-Americans whose ancestors had lived for generations in California, New Mexico, Colorado and Texas were suddenly viewed and despised as foreigners in their own land. "They" are Americans of African descent, on whose blood, sweat and tears this country was colonized and built. They have fought and died alongside "us" on foreign soil for the principles of freedom and democracy only to be denied the most basic human rights in their own land. And the spite of having been excluded, both legally and socially, from mainstream opportunity throughout most of this country's history, have continued to make important artistic, scientific, literary and social contributions to "our" society. "They" are Americans of Italian, Chinese and Jewish descent and many Americans of a variety of other ethnic backgrounds who have been and are an integral part of our country's culture and history. Multiculturalism is not some new philosophy this country is trying to adopt in order to be politically correct. This country is multicultural, period and it always has been. Multicultural education has nothing to do with political correctness it simply has to deal with the truth about other nations, other people, other racesand other ideals. The Signpost Recipient of the UPA General Excellence award Editor in chief Managing editor News editor A&E editor Sports editor Copy editor Asst. copy editor Features editor Special editions Campus affairs Photo editor Production editor Production Asst. Ad designer Ad manager Asst. ad manager Secretary Adviser Publisher Jeff Haney Mark Forsberg Jennifer King Tyson Hiatt Jared Page Hillary Schultz Kimberli Longhurst Laurie Albrechtsen Chad Mosher Bryan Stephens Steve Conlin Dawn Webber Paul Roskelley Phil Mickey Jennifer Belnap Todd Wangsgard Laura Jane Hansen P. Larry Stahle Dr. Randy Scott The Signpost Phone numbers Editor In chief Managing editor News desk Arts desk Sports desk Production Advertising Adviser . Fax 626-7121 626-7105 626-7507 626-7105 626-7983 626-6358 626-6359 626-7120 626-7401 The Signpost is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during Fall, Winter and Spring quarters. Subscription is $9 a quarter. The Signpost is a student publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University students. Opinions or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. The Signpost welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should not exceed 350 words. Letters must include name, address, phone number, relationship to staff and the signature of the writer. The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and also reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Bring letters to the editorial office in UB 267 or mail to: The Signpost, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah 84408-2110. Attn: Jeff Haney, editor In chief. PICK THE ONE V0U PONT NEEP A LICENSE TO OWN , My mother, the garage sale addict Can anyone help me? I seem to have lost my mother. Wait, I think I have an idea of where she might have gone. Garage sale season is here. How could I have forgotten? On Saturdays for the past 20 years my mother has headed out at the crack of dawn to track down bargains in the endless sea of garage sales. No matter the weather, she faithfully speeds around town in search of tacky bright pink and orange signs boasting huge bargains.I need to buy her one of those bumper sticker that says, "Caution, I Break for Garage Sales." As soon as I was old enough to read, my mom would take me out with her to scan the addresses from the newspaper and the road signs as she drove. I hated rolling out of bed so early on a Saturday morning, but sometimes she would spring for donuts. Should I have considered that a bribe? Mom never has a specific goal in mind when she goes "garage saling," like looking for essential appliances or furniture. Instead she comes home with items that are used once then stored until the family holds our own garage sale. In fact, my mother was talking with her garage-sale buddy Kathy about a particular piece of furniture that had made its way through the neighborhood at least a dozen times. It's always the highlight of the gossip sessions to discover who has the beat-up coffee table. When I wasyoungerand mom had been gone for up to six hours on a good day, she would come in V The Cherry Pits of Life Jennifer King the house and try to surprise us kids with the "wonderful" clothes she had bought. Actually, 90 percent of the time, the clothes were hideous and went into storage until our next garage sale. My sister and I used to go with mom and search for Barbies and books. However, I went through a stage during my junior high and high school years when I refused to even be seen at a garage sale with my mother. Wha t if I saw one of my friends there? I absolutely refused to wear anything my mom had picked up at a garage sale. What if 1 ran into the previous owner while wearing the article of clothing? After pleading with us to wear the clothes, my mom would tell us who she had seen at the sales for the day. In fact, she and Kathy have nicknames for all the "regulars."There is Norman Bates, and, of course, his mother, who buys all the worthless items at the sales and then turns around and sells them at their weekly "estate sales." And 1 can't forget Buddy I lolly. He shows up early at the sales, buys all the good stuff and then sells them during the week in his shop at a 100 percent markup. Then, there are all the regulars who buy "treasures" on Fridays and Saturdays and re-sell them at the swap meets on Sundays at inflated prices. Swap meets aren't my mom's style. She prefers to drive all over hell and back to spend $2 on three things. It must be her way of relaxing and beating stress. You may wonder if I have inherited some of mom's weekend bargaining abilities, but why should I with such a buyer in the family? This year I gave my mom a list of furniture I'm going to need when I move out this summer. I'm confident she could furnish a three bedroom house within six weeks on a $300 budget. We all looked at mom's Saturday activities in a new light this spring, however. Eight years ago she picked up a ceramic vase shaped like a basket with two matching candleholders. I didn't care for the old fashioned, 40-ish pottery, but mom loved it. Well, about two years later she was glancing through an antique catalog and found that her pottery was valued at $500. What a shocker! In March she found someone in South Dakota who paid her $1,300 for the set. Talk about inflation. My mom had paid $4 for the set. That's an increase of 33,000 percent. All long-term benefits aside, I think someone should develop a 12-step program for people who are addicted to garage sales. 1 have a feeling 1 know who the first member, or should I say patient, should be. |