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Show THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE THE CHRONICLE'S VIEW An Undercurrent of j Dangerous Sentiment safety, and V larger problem, the University of Utah has witnessed a series cf racist, homophobic and otherwise bigoted slanders. In the most recent case, vandalism and crude obscenities defaced posters of Unity party Assembly candidate Francis X. Lilly, who is gay. Lilly, himself, was forced to remove the posters from Orson Spencer Hall after discovering a perpetrator had scrawled demeaning remarks across the posters in black marker. Earlier, East Village resident Marilu Dazley, an immigrant from Nicaragua, received several hateful and threatening notes because of her ethnicity. One message painted across her car window in black nail polish read, "Out or death," Dazley previously had discovered other notes threatening both her and the safety of her family, '. And it wasn't too long ago that organizations gJoalfcd over their contribution to j free speech on campus with their flyers and letters to the editor-Ia time when diversity and. acceptance should be the hallmark of any institution, these incidents reflect poorly on the U. Residents who are afraid to sleep at night because they fear for their while-supremac- ist n MOTS. Vc. TE- 3, LETTER - T&6A4 .. . 4 TO rcWAST - THE EDITOR Mascots Can't Do Anything to Pride asks. : TO "THAtsC permes- sonally targeted by hateful sages are victims the university as a whole cannot ignore. The changes necessary to make everyone on campus feel comfortable to express themselves and to live their lives free from the intolerance of others requires the participation cf every segment of campus. Students should educate themselves and embrace the diversity around them, the faculty needs to create open dialogues for discussion and debate among students, administrators need to battle at the forefront, advocating diversity and protecting the collage that mates up a student body. ; Lilly says the perpetrator of the poster defacements remains anonymous. To whom do I grieve?" he no trend, a lack of dia- logue, or the surfacing of a openly students who feel LtiJX But anonymity is lost on a campus and student body who do r.ot pursue diversity with dedication and zeal. ' ', The incidents affront the entire university, and we share the blame when an intolerable atmosphere flourishes and continues.' "A! the" very leasl'sTudeiits'need', an unapathetic university, one invigorated with the effort to confront the problem full force. At the very least, a dialogue needs to be created between students and administrators so individuals can progress in a welcome and safe environment Editor: It was interesting to read two articles in The Daily Utah Chronicle, "Native American Speaker Talks About Activism" and "Debate Over Mascots Name Flares As Opponents Plan More Protests," which were printed Feb 28. These articles focused on mascots, racism and Native Americans. . a Navajo Dineh, of the Many Goat Being clan, born to the Tower House People clan, I felt I would share my opinion on this matter. The one article that came from a student at the University of North Dakota quoted Russell Means, an American Indian Movement (AIM) member saying, "Native Americans who are ignorant or in support of mascots are idiots." , full-blood- one of the many Native Americans who are in support of mascot usage. Actions taken by AIM members are not always welcomed or accepted by native people. Since its foundation in 1968, AIM has always been an unsteady organization. Russell Means was one of the founders of this organization and has always been known to disrupt the livelihood of certain tribes across the nation. AIM could do so much more positive things by focusing on more valid issues that are important to the sacredness of our people, such as alcoholism, the envi- I am see MASCOTS, page 7 omeihing Valuable May Be Worth Giving Up JAMES ers fighting in World War II at the same time. And in some ways, the war was even better SEAMAN than the preceding decade because at least Chronicle Opinion Columnist the time of year Catholics await, with dread. Every year for Lent six weeks before Easter Catholics make little sacrifices. The idea is to prepare yourself, to get your life in order, for the Easter celebration. Like many fellow Papists, I wasn't sure what to sacrifice this season. Not studying for six weeks might work but that would be more pleasure than pain. Giving up breathing was a possibility. After the first five minutes, the rest of Lent would be quite painless. My friend once gave up talking for Lent but he's a priest now, so that standard seemed a little too high. I even spent time wondering why sacrifice is necessary at all. Finally, an idea for a sacrifice came to me: something very important, something I look forward to and never want to take for grantedbut I'm not telling you what it is. But more important than my decision was the realization that sacrifice has a value far beyond religious dogma. Practicing a little could help us all Catholics or not. For a generation more affluent than any in the history of the world, few of us know the meaning of real sacrifice It's hard for me even to imagine what it was like for my grandmother she had five broth This self-deni- al is everyone had jobs. The Great Depression turned ordinary citizens into survivors. Those experiences gave people perspective, courage and, especially, humility. Although some individuals among us have endured unusually difficult struggles, we generally have no idea what the Spartan lifestyle is like. Our society has become so affluent that we take luxuries for granted, even find reasons to complain. Take college for example: People in generations past would have killed for the access we have to highe- - education. And yet we spend as much energy complaining about our s as we do appreciating these opportunities. Lest this become a guilt-trilet me say that there's nothing wrong with enjoying the lifestyle that prosperity, technology and human evolution provide. But if we're not careful, we may become dependent on certain amenities and begin taking the good life for granted. Before there was email, I talked to people on the phone. I even made a habit of dropping by to visit. Now, all I can do is shoot off a response from my Hotmail'account. The consequences emerge when I can't access I have no way of communicating my because I don't keep addresses or phone numbers anymore. Sadly, I have become a slave to technology. Maybe sacrificing email for awhile would do me some good. CHRONICLE class-load- p, two-senten- ce OPINION EDITOR SCOTT LEWIS Car problems are even worse. Taking the bus, riding a bike or simply walking somewhere have become too difficult or at least unnecessary. So on mornings when my car decides it's too tired to start, I'm left standing in the cold. Perhaps learning to live without my car would be a valuable lesson. The potential for technology to foster dependence can be dangerous. The key is not to become a hostage. We can accomplish amazing things with the latest tools. Far more that important, though, is the allows you to thrive when those tools are not available. Making a sacrifice doesn't have to mean forfeiting technology. There may be something else in your life requiring examination. We all self-relianc- e Not studying for six weeks might that work-b- ut would be more pleasure than pain. have bad habits and vices that we're not proud of. In this way, a sacrifice can be a tremendous opportunity for You kno.w what Vladimir Lenin did to prepare for the Russian Revolution? He gave up his two favorite things in the world chess and cats. Apparently they made him weak. Sounds bizarre, I know. Giving up these pleasures disciplined Lenin for his future goal of leading a violent upheaval. Personally, I think giving up cats made the man a little too mean. LETTERSCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU a bit scary. the of case Consider, then, George W. Bush. He gave up drinking, his second-favorithing (daddy's money is clearly first).Alcohol had become a serious problem in Bush's life, potentially keeping him from his goals. Though the man is certainly no genius, he was smart enough to see that sacrificing alcohol would ultimately prove beneficial. But instead of simply giving up the bottle, I only wish Bush had traded it for something like a Maybe the. Lenin example is te - vocabulary. Sacrifice is also important because it helps us gain perspective. It would be difficult to sacrifice food and eat just one meal a day. But such an experience provides insight into the way millions of hungry people live. This kind of sacrifice makes us sensitive to the struggles of people whose daily lives give them no choice but to sacrifice. History is sprinkled with the stories of those who took sacrifice beyond the limits of human endurance. In 1981, 10 Irishmen undertook a hunger strike to restore their status as political prisoners (as opposed to common criminals). The strike ended with death by starvation for all 10 in a British jail, although not until Kieran 73 days. Doherty held out for a But an individual sacrifice doesn't have to be this extreme. Making a sacrifice that only you understand, that you keep to yourself, shouldn't be diminished just because it doesn't garner the attention of those around you. It is a truth that you can carry proudly in the silence of your heart. mind-boggli- see SACRIFICE, page 7 581-704- 1 |