\!Glc nn

Report Evaluates Gov. Engler by Adam DeVore

University of Michigan students are not the only ones who just received their grades in the mail. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a non-partisan research and educational organization based in Midland, this Monday released The Engler Administration: A Mid-term Review, a criti­cal yet positive and optimistic evaluation of Michigan's current state government. Wherea'l Governor John Engler's perfor­mance in 1991 earned him but a "B" from the Center, his second effort deserves an "A- ," the report maintains.

Unlike President George Bush, whom millions of Americans have" come to view ... as a man without a vision, a man devoid of deep philosophical roots that could define his mission and keep it on a clear and consistent course," Engler "is perceived by friend and foe alike as a forceful leader who knows where he wants to take the state - toward less government, lower taxes, and a revital­ized private sector," the Mackinac Cen­ter reported .

A rare species of political animal, Engler has ' i not insulated his thinking from the hardships that ordinary people must endure as they cope with intrusive government," the report declares; he understands, perhaps more clearly than any other state's chief executive, that the best government is not the one willing to do the most for or to its citizens. On that point the Mackinac Center is emphatic:

[N]othing about government could be more" compassionate" than poli­cies which respect the rights of indi­viduals to enjoy the fruits of their labor, to come to the aid of others with their own resources, to build enterprises, to develop free and mutually beneficial relationships, to be a part of their children's educa­tion beyond merely paying the bill ... Nothing about government could be more uncompassionate ... than policies which repress the spirit of inventiveness, dictate the minutiae of interpersonal rel~tions, deprive workers of their earnings, or substi­tute the cold, indifferent hand of the State for the nurture of family, church, and community.

Engl er' s 1992 record specifically earned the Center's praise in over a dozen

Michigan's first brush with widespread principle to which more elected officials school choice, but educational choice re- ought to pay heed: it urges "an enlight-

tains important support ened perspective across state government, within the State Depart- one that seeks to eradicate anything that ment of Education and suffocates peaceful, productive activity." A the Michigan Board of careful review of "needless or overly bur-Education, as well as the densome licenSing requirements," dam-legislature and, increas- aging zoning laws, and related ills is ingly,amongst public consequently in order. school teachers them- One area the report refrains from selves. addressing is the likely effect of the

The Mackinac Cen- Clinton administration on Engler's re-, ter also criticized form efforts. Lawrence W. Reed, presi-Engler's mental health dent of the Mackinac Center and the care reforms, which have primary author of the report, wished to "not been put forth in a withhold definitive judgment until way that educates the _ Clinton has spent some time in the role of .-public or allays legifi- president. "It is too early to tell for sure," mate anxieties." Though said Reed. laudable, his welfare re- Reed noted, however, that he is con-forms should have been cemed about the way in which environ-mote significant, the re- mental policy might be pursued. "We !RQrt suggested. Engler's may see considerable intervention and ,~l(i>Warddiminish- non-market approaches." iri~ '''the coercive power But Clinton's experience as gover-

Michigan Governor John Engler of the state's labor unions nor of Arkansas may also have sensitized

respects, including his handling of the budget deficit without increasing taxes, his redirection of the Commerce Depart­ment away from an industrial paradigm of "endless and dubious subsidy 'pro­grams," and his welfare program reforms (which the review termed "one of the boldest .. . in the nation") . His stalwart opposition to increases in gasoline and cigarette taxes, like his (ultimately de­feated) "cut and cap" proposal and his success in lessening the burden of the Single Business Tax, also won the Mackinac Center's praise.

The report also noted that "Engler haS put Michigan on the very cutting edge of the national privatization' move­ment" while evincing !'a sensitivity to privatizing sensibly and with apptopri- " ate safeguards against abuse."

The report identified relatively few areas of concern with Engler's mid-term record. His pledge to "phase out" state funding for the arts "saw scant progress" last year, just as Michigan's attempt to expand intradistrict public school choice manifested only the haziest and most ethereal signs of efficacy. Myriad politi­cal, attitudinal, economic and logistical barriers detracted from the success of

and their political dout" him to the need for states to retain con-have likewise remrunedwanting. siderable autonomy. "On the positive

The brief report endson a prospec- side, Bill Clinton was a governor and tive' rather than 'ret'rosp'ective note; how- understands [the effects of] federal im-ever. Given recent Republican gains ir positions on states," said Reed. the Michi'gan Hous~ of Representatives" the Center wriie~, Engler ought to "take advantage of the new legislative oppor­tunities to employ innovative, market­based prescriptions for public policy. He should take risks, experiment, shake up the status quo - because m~y of Mithlgan's long-standlngand'intractable problems are not amenable to ,resolution through mere tinkering at the edges."

While continuing to pursue prop­erty tax artd state pudget reductions, , Engler should also "move swiftly to . implement recomin~'nd~tions 9f the Michigan Public/Private 'Partnership Coll'l1TIission and to remove all existing state barriers that inhibit privatization by local government," according to the report. Deregulation of the trucking in­dustry, as well as legal, auto insurance, and labor reform also top the Mackinac Center's agenda for 1993. Educational choice is another area rife with potential for improvemen~.

The report's final major recommen­dation contains an essential statement of

Adam DeVore is a senior in philosophy and Spanish and the editor in chief of the Review.

.; ,r

·INSIDE'

Serpent's Tooth 2

Letters 3

U-M'Computing 4

Even More Letters 5

Forrest Green III 6

Feminist Psych. S

Cru~ty's Favorites 10

.''";. ___ _ ' _'-.~.;..1- __ :;;o.=-_-':'.".~.-_' -:-:. 2';"7";;;"';::;~","=~'''':::::'"~=~,","'''''';"","''O'""~'~:;;'~~~~:':':"7,,-;..v.;.'.;'';'';:';''~~:;;:;';'~ -".:.: ... ..:;.~:.:.:::::-- ::...~-.. -.:.:::..~. . ctZi~. " 'f" iteR & .. q:;::

2 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW January 6, 1992

·1'

'\I.

Serpent's Tooth ,,' THE

MICIDGAN REVIEW

Back in reality? The National Review states that Gary Sick, of October Surprise fame,

OUR. I c>t' SluR\(

0\-\, A~p i't1:1(£

PE:B~~, t UloN-r BEL\81E l"i ~~D~ 1ti'E' J~~Up.,l2..'< Sth VJAL.L- ~WE€'T ~d)~AL \ ~ ~t4\\.cWa ~ ~~E.~,

is writing a paper on the Middle East for going to be <;:arter II, really. The Campus Affairs Journal

of the the Clinton transition team. No, this isn't

. / / // ;}7/7 /{/1;

t \OlD w) A~9 t F \"T \J.JeRE~"r ~ \W:6£ PES\L..'-( \LtC6. f\T l1tF II V t E:(,J , (tJe t,0?lJ t..:.e:> \A AVrz ~t\l?N ffi)P>H Wrn\ \T, ToO, .

)

Michigan won. The 'Canes lost 1993 is st~ng out as a good year ... until inau­guration day, at least.

In the same issue, an article dealing with the "Year of the Woman" noted that Su­san Faludi's Backlash and Gloria Steinem's Rev?lution from Within "rode the bestseller list." Nice metaphor, guys.

University of Michigan

We are the Establishment

II Arrogant Maggot" Adam DeVore

Publisher Karen S. Brinkman

Executive Editors Andrew Bockelman Joe Coletti

Tony Ghecea

Cpntributing Editors Beth Martin Jay D. McNeill

Tracy Robinson Stacey L Walker

In a related story, this one from USA Today, AI Gore's Earth in 'the Balance was reported to have sold 250,000 copies, mak­ing it the best-selling hardcover book on the environment in history. Rush Limbaugh's book, by comparison, has sold a mere 8 million copies. Is it AI or his subject that's lame? You be the judge. Music Editor

Literary Editor Well, the recession ended almost two I Graphics Editor

Chris Peters Adam Garagiola

Will Ryan years ago, and Bill Clinton is still plan- . . ning to help us recover from it. In a .1 Asslstant Editors related story, he was pondering sendip.g-·~

Ryan Boeskool Brian Schefke

troops to Somalia. " Copy Editor Shannon Pfent DougThiese Mitch Rohde

Speaking of Somalia, when asked by the ' MTS Meister Wall Street Journal if the U.S. military Systems Analyst should disarm the Somali warlords (as United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali suggests), the SliOOter responded, '1 was disappointed to see that a question of that much mo­ment had apparently not been fully dis­cussed between ourselves and the United Nations before the mission had been undertaken. And I'm not criticizing our government ... but that is a very signifi­cant question." Of course he's not criti­cizing our government. He'd have to be on foreign soil to do that.

Last year on ABC's Prime Time Live, Magic Johnson reveaIed that he had once had sex with six women simultaneously. Only 19,994 to go, Earvin.

We've just received word that our Moral­Relativist-elect has decided to usurp the powers of the papacy. Clinton appar­ently wants to change the Ten Command­ments to the Ten Thoughtful Recommen­dations.

Submissions for the Serpent's Tooth, from staff or non-staff, are welcome. Please send

them to Suite One or via MrS. ~ '" ~ • ~ • • ' ~ It

Business Assistants Peter Daugavietis ChetZarko

Staff Eddie Arner, Eric Berg, Michele Brogley, Erica De San tis, James E, Elek, Joe Epstein, Frank Grabowski, Nate Jamison, Ken Johnston, Eric Lepard, Mary the Cat, Bud Muncher, Crusty Muncher, Dave Perczak, Drew Peters, Renee Rudnicki, TS Taylor, Perry Thompson, Corey Tobin, Martin Vloet, Michelle Wietek, Matt Wilk, Tony Woodlief.

Editors Emeriti Brian Jendryka John J. Miller

The Michigan Review is an independent, stu­dent-run journal at the University of Michi­gan. We neither solicit nor accept any dona­tions from the University of Michigan. Contri­butions to the Michigan Review are tax~educt­ible under Section SOl(c)(3) of the Internal Rev­enue Code. The Review is not affiliated with any political party.

Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board. Signed articles represent the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of the Review. We welcome letters and articles and encourage comments about the journal and issues discussed in it

SUITE ONE 911 NORTH UNIVERSITY AVENUE

ANN ARBOR, MI 48109-1265

TEL (313)662-1909 FPC(313)936-2505

Copyright 1993

,~" " , .. , .• ', ' ,.:'", C'., ' .. \, ' .. \ \ , ~._ . «,_-<;,_ "'. '\~ •

..... -""----'-.~'~,-,~-~,~.-."------------....... -----

January 6, 1993 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW 3

'Ii

Letters to the Editor i~:

" $J~

Library Article NaIve To the Editor:

I am an avid reader of the Review for the past 3+ years, and I have found the Review's articles sometimes thought­provoking, sometimes humorous and sometimes utterly ridiculous. The two articles concerning the U-M library's expenditure on diversity materials most certainly fit in the last category.

I am writing purely as a patron of the . U-M library system and have no affiliation to the U-M libraries. It seems to me that the assumptions and allegations leveled in these articles go way overboard. One of the arguments posited is thatjoumals are being canceled indisaiminately for the sake of diversity

. spending. However, the Review gives no indication thatthis is the case. I think it is therefore probable that the library cuts journals that are rarely, if ever, used. I have noticed many, many journals as well as books that have never been cracked much less avidly sought after. What is the purpose of keeping these journals and books, if they are of no use to patrons?

Consequently it is safe to assume that the library system is doing this in the coli ecti ve pa trons' favor . I wholeheartedly believe the library canceled subscriptions to journals and has removed books based on how many times patrons checked them out. The ones with least circulation will make way for different materials in hope of greater readership. I believe this assumption is valid especially in light of the fact that the Review offers no evidence to the contrary. Diverse journals and books would probably be of more value in the day and age than certain obscure and outdated scientific materials.

With respect to the argument of having to go out at night to do some research in a remote library, I have to say "1'00 bad. Just be careful when you do so!" Many students need to trek at night: the late night treks between libraries and buildings are just a fact of life for all

students and researchers. Things change, and people must learn to adapt. In any case,' when one does research I would think one would have ready all articles and books needed before any research is done. Most research labs probably have their own stacks of pertinent literature~. and I would also say that the number of these perilous late night runs is minimal.

In short your two main arguments-:­loss of scientific materials due to gain of diversity materials and danger . to researchers during nightlyJorays contain false assumptions. TheU-M'libraryigains a very wen";'rounded colledion froin having ALL kinds of books and j04ffial~ and if you think $44,000 IS a lot to spend on diversityjournals,imagiMthe funds spent on socialist and communist literature, or for that matterjournals and books commenting on conservative . politics and thought. Let's not start g~g petty, and let's attempt to digest these new materials if the desire to read them arises. If the libraries did not obtains these journals and books, I think that there would be a missing piece in " le

jigsaw puzzle of the U; ... Mlibrary system. . In addition,' because I have ,little experience with PIC, I would ~<;>t1ike ti l . comment on it in this letter, except to mention that if a white stuclEmt really wanted to ask a question of th~ PIC: counselors, I am surethey could do so and most likely get a good answer.. .

Alex Sirota Computer science and Russian senior .

PS - You many attack my arguments all you want. As stated in A<,iam DeVore's fascinating article about Cohen's lecture on the abortion debate, for every argument 'one can think of a counter­argument, so I am sure you will not disappoint me in finding every one of my arguments flawed. Or will you?

Mr. Sirota, I suggest that you reread the' atticle on Cohen 's lecture. :'-,Adam DeVpre

I

MREV:Forum $signon

. ",

Library Article InSightful To the Editor:

I apologize for my anonymity but I trust you'll understand why.

You hit the nail on the head with "Academics Sacrificed for Diversity" (December 2, 1992). Starting with former Director Richard Dougherty, Deputy Director Carla Stoffle, and continuing with Dean Donald Riggs, we have been

. subjected to every managerial fad and whlm imaginable. Tremendous amounts of money . have been wasted on these ideas. The Library is only interested in bottom-line statistics and not how this impacts on their workers.

In the meanwhile, the administration has growntop~heary with amaZing salaties for each. A huge bureaucracy is .now entrenched and has maoyin this group doinglittkof substapce for their heftY salaries.Peopl~ w:hOhave worked in 'the system for a long time are well awareof .theover-"paid deadwood. While this inverted triangle has formed, the lower-level P lAs [professionall

have had their ranks decimated. It is sheer savageryl

Morale is at an all-time low among the rank and file workers - the ones who actually make the libraries function. Diversity, whatever form, is the big-buck buzzword for the library. They even recruited and hired a "Diversity" librarian and very little has beenheard of him since. There is even a "Diversity'; committee who spends their work time reviewing movies. They even show hill­length films during the workday and . expect us to leave our work to see them .. ·· Fat chance!

YOu've hita nerve with hundreds of us.,- all colors, ages, ethnic groups, sexUal .. orientation, and bcith genders. Did I leC!ve anything out? I have made copies of your arti<;le and wiUmake sure it is distributed.

Keep up the gOO<! work.

Anonymous ,

Please See Page 5 for Eilen More Letters I administrativeemployees)Jand deri.~-'"

.~ •• H"

...::

.. ·D,on't . wait 'until i t'sl. too late.

" SUBSCRIBE

, to the Michigan Review, the campus affairs journal of the University of Michigan.

Enclosed is my TAX-DEDUCTIBLE dona­tion of $25 or more for 27 weekly issues plus the 1993 Suinmer Orien­tation Issue.

flease send mysubsc,ription to: ~

<1m"

Ad&es~ __________________________________ __

Please make check or money order payable to: THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

9.11 North University Avenue; Suite One, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 ... 1265 · •• <> . .... . ". ,. .. ... ,

"""."_,_._ .... ~" ...... ,".L ..... ___ ... _ ....... "' __ .......... .."_,,_ ... ___ . _,.-""~,_.,~,_,,_.,,'_ .~,_._.~, .. ,,._._~"..,..,..,.,.., ....... , ... _ • ..,.., •. ,.'",.;.~. _ _ '''' •. _...,,,_ ,, __ ~vw,.-....... '¥)' '''' ____ ~ __ ...... " ...

4 THE MICHIGNI REVIF;W January 6, 1993

'"

From Suite One: Editorial " il;A'

Only 259 to G'O ... The slip of paper in your hand has the number 306 stamped on it in red ink: The

sign hanging from the ceiling changes from 46 to 47 as a voice overhead says "Macintosh 47. Macintosh 47." Your homework is due tomorrow morning and like hundreds of other University of Michigan students, you've corne to Angell Hall in search of a computer. Your eyes survey the lobby as you contemplate whether to take a seat on the crowded floor here or out in the more spacious, but uncarpeted hallway while you endure the next two or three hours until your number is called. Perhaps you'll just go horne and take a short nap.

These, or similarly disheartening realizations, have struck many U-M students at one time or another, often at an uncomfortably late hour, unsettlingly close to the end of the tenn. Surely most are familiar with the solution - it arises each term, strains students' patience, and wreaks havoc on their nervous systems. Cotnputing center waiting lists, anathema to all breathing stu<,lents, assert their reign of terror, becoming increasingly long as the tenn progresses and illustrating perfectly the need for some substantive and intuitively practical solutions to the deficiencies of U-M computing clusters. .

What is perhaps more frustrating than knowing that there are over 250 people between you and the next available computer, however, is the realization that many computers sit assigned but unattended. From the windows overlooking the bay of computers, you can see them: Vacant computers with blank screens, no users, and no out-of-order signs. Could it be that your fellow students took their station authoriza­tion cards, left their computers unattended, and went horne to eat dinner and nap? Impossible! Public resources are never abused by anyone, and certainly not that flagrantly.

As you stare enviously at the unattended computers, you remember the signs on the walls that warn computer users not to leave their stations for more than 15 minutes.

You chuckle to yourself, or perhaps cry, at how that golden rule goes largely unenforced, and think that strict enforcement cannot reasonably be expected, can it?

What's really annoying, however, is knowing that as you wait, hundreds upon hundereds of University-owned computers sit idle in professors' and sundry bureau­crats' offices. Is that not wrong? When there are people in need, shouldn't the University function like the government, taking from the "haves" to provide for the "have nots"?

What can be done to make this injustice real to administrators and give them a reason to care sincerely about wait lists? Repossess all or most of the University's computers - from the old-5tyle Macintosh SEs that most resident advisors use in their dorm rooms to the flashier and costlier one that decorates President Duderstadt's office. Claims about ownership are, of course, spurious. The fact is that there are idle resources to which students, as members of the U-M community, are simply entitled.

It would, after all, be absurd to computerize the waiting lists, so that if a computer were shut down for more than a few minutes, or if its countdown screen saver expired, the next person's number would be announced automatically. Automatic, mecha­nized enforcement of time limits must surely be impossible. Such a solution is too complex - and what's more, some students might find it inconvenient or frustrating!

The repossession of the University's other computers would immediately allevi­ate a good portion of the wait, and what's more, the folks who run this University would be forced to submit to the same sort of incomprehensible waitlists that students invariably encounter.

Such a solution may initially sound harsh. Would it strangle the computer­dependent U-M bureaucracy? Probably, but so what? There are "have nots" in desperate need.

WelcolTIe back, and be careful: TIle Code is ill effect /*

"We have reviewed the procedures proposed under the Code of Student Non-Academic Conduct which is on your agenda today.

The proposed Code appears to establish procedures which attempt to imitate [the] American legal system with some legal trappings and vocabulary retained but with the meaningful protections evis­cerated.

The Washtenaw ACLU will be interested in talking to any student who is required to go through this process or who is disciplined after this process is applied to him or her. We will take seriously any request for representation from such a stu~ent who wishes to sue to negate the results of any hearing under the Code, to seek reimbursement for damages done to an academic career, and to seek reim­bursement of expenses incurred."

- Jean Ledwith King Washtenaw County American Civil Liberties Union

Address to the U-M Board of Regents November 19, 1992

*A pubic service announcement from your friends at the Review.

--~~-------------------

January 6,1993 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW 5

Letters to the Editor \1' 1\!":>

Science VS. Metaphysics To the Editor:

I read with interest the summation of Prof. Carl Cohen's talk on abortion (MR Dec. 2, 1992) last Nov. 16. While I think he did a valuable service by decrying bumper-sticker thinking on this subject, I wish I had ben there to add my 2¢ to his critique of the "human person" argument advanced by "conservatives" (to borrow his term).

Part of the reason "conservatives" advance the "human person" argument on genetic grounds is to counter "liberal" claims that the fetus is part of the woman's body ("It's my body ... " etc.); that is, clearly the fetus is not part of the "person" of the woman (totally different DNA), so "liberals" cannot use that as a basis for abortion.

If the fetus is not part of the "person" of the woman, as demonstrated by science, then "what it is" must be thoroughly understood before any legitimate settlement of the abortion debate can be made. Yet it is precisely thie; question "liberals" have failed to address, even though it is obviously pertinent to the serious matter of abortion.

To his credit, Prof. Cohen does try to tackle just this matter, but in a less-than­convincing manner. To begin with, he makes a typical equivocation between science and metaphysics by his assertion that "being a human" is a "scientific category," while "personhood" is a "moral category." (Defining "human" involves more 'than science, just as "personhood" is more than merely a moral category.)

This is an assumption that is often contested and yet to be proved. Science is certainly a necessary means to defining human nature, but not a sufficient means. It is, crudely put, a mixed question to be answered by an integrated approach of science and philosophy. (By Prof. Cohen's own words, 1/ •• , what characteristics are essential to the presence of a human person is a deep philosophical question whose answer cannot take the form of an empirical report.1f Now this is surely absurd. Science, for instance, can at least

determine what entity cannot possibly be a candidate for human personhood. No entity with the genes of a chimp, for example [which has 98% of the same genetic code as a human being] would be such a candidate.)

To demonstrate, I suggest Prof. Cohen and other interested parties re­read Mortimer Adler's liThe Difference of Man, and the Difference it Makeslf in its entirety. From it I will distill a series of questions no "liberal lf abortion advocate has thought to ask, yet is critical in determining just "whatlf a fetus "is" (a metaphysical question if I ever heard one), since we all agree there is some sort of difference between the fetus and the adult which is its mother:

1) What are the Modes of Difference, i.e., the "ways" one thing can "differ" from another? 2) Which of these Modes is applicable to the fetus? 3) Why? 4) What are the implications of this Mode of Difference applied to the fetus as opposed to another, i.e., what difference does this Difference make?

Until the "liberal" abortion advocate answers these questions in an intelligible manner, I personally will give the fetus the benefit of the doubt by considering "it" a human person in pontentia. (,,'Potentiality' is not another name for 'non-being,'" as myoid philosophy professor put it. "You can't squeeze blood from a turnip, or water from a rock. A blind man and a sighted man both cannot see in a dark room, but the sighted man sees potentially, and that potentiality is something very real.")

That is my "choice" in this matter. The abortion advocate, of course, is free to make another. But he (or 'she') is not free to choose the consequences of his choice. That is why we live in an order, not a chaos.

Adam Condic University of Michigan Alumnus

Suite One 911 North University Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1265

Letters to the Editor should be typewritten or legibly handwritten and include a phone number where the author may be reached. Letters may also be submitted on disk (in Microsoft Word for the Macintosh) or electronically Via MTS (send to MThe Michigan Review").

Writing at t~e U-M To the Editor:

I must say that I found Ms. Shannon Pfent courteous and straightforward when she interviewed me a few weeks ago for her article on the status of. the First-year composition program at the University (" Are Undergrads Learning to Write," November 18, 1992). While I share her concern about undergraduate writing at the University, her straightforward maner truly makes her a credit to your publication. One particular statement in her article, however, seemed to me somewhat ambiguous as it appeared in the Review. I would like to clarify.

I am referring to the remark on page 10, column 3, in which I am mentioned as saying that part of the guidance a new English Composition teaching assistant received in 1990-91 consisted of meetings with his/her assigned mentor. Mentors, as the article correctly says, are lecturers or professors - to my knowledge only

to the T As during the T As' first year of teaching. The article goes on to say that "they do not have much contact with students." The mentors do, in fact, have a great deal of contact with their own students, since they are teaching classes while they mentor. Mentors also have a lot of contact with the T As they mentor during mandatory weekly T A meetings. They are also available informally to discuss other matters as they arise. Further, I do consider them eminently qualified in their capacity as mentors. I believe I was quite emphatically positive about my mentor experience in my conversation with Ms. Pfent, though I dare say my enthusiasm was not unequivocally manifest in the article.

I mention this simply in the interests of fairness. Though this may seem a minor point, I would not want kudos deserved to go unnoticed, especially since this mentor program was such a key component of my English T A training.

lecturers or professors - with experience "" I teaching composition who are assign~d -'""'Rob Sulewski

i~ Rudolph the Whit-e--l-ai-Ie-d?-. To the Editor:

I was perusing an otherwise typically mediocre music review by Crusty Muncher in your final issue of Fall Term 1992 when I came across the byline, which detailed Mr. Muncher's success in shooting Rudolph the Red,..Nosed Reindeer during the November firearm deer season. I felt myself compelled to respond.

It would be obvious to anyone who has ever picked up a book of natural history or watched one of those cool wildlife documentaries on PBS that the Review's claim is zoogeographically impossible. Whereas the white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus (such as Bambi, who the Review,~so claimed Mr. Muncher to have bagged), ranges in Michigan and the northerrl United States and thus is legal and possible to hunt, Rudolph is a reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, the arctic, Eurasian counterpart to the North American caribou, and thus would be found nowhere near Michigan, especially during white-tail " season.

Mr. Muncher's boastful lie is sypmtomatic of the Review editorial staff's consistent lack of even grade school­level aptitudes in the life sciences. Who, for example, could forget Jeff Muir (BGS, '92) and his classic 1990 critique of the lack of scientific rigor in his "Biology for non-scientists" class? Or who could

forget last year's book review disputing Darwinian evolution, or all the gripping environmental opinions given to us by those natural resources experts at the Review? All of this points to the simple observation that the editors of the Reivew should stick to covering topics they are familiar with (don't worry - you'll stumble on one eventually). And the rest of us, who found Christmas trees laden with gifts from a well-guided Santa's sleigh, can rest easy for another year.

Chris Bzdok LSA Senior and 1984 State Champion "Name that Organism!" Michigan Junior High Science Olympiad

Join the Michigan Review

Writing Editing

Graphic Arts Photography

Business

Sundays • 7pm. Michigan League, 3rd Floor

6 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW January 6, 1993

Letter to the Editor

An Open Letter to "The Establishment" Forrest Green III Responds to the Review's Challenge

On February 6, 1992, Forrest Green III wrote in his Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. column, "The Michigan Review, my own pick for what is truly the most regres­sive, white supremacist publication in Ann Arbor, uXJUld weakly depict me as an extrem­ist." The Review responded with both a challenge on its oum pages and a letter to the Daily.

The former read, in part, "Since nobody on our staff can recall endorsing white su­premacy, we would like Mr. Green to refresh our memories." The latter challenged Mr. Green to "prove that your allegations are accurate." It continued, "The Review will print, unedited, an essay written by you, of up to 1,000 words, which seeks to demon­strate that your vile twaddle is even approxi­mately true . ... fYJoudid not bother to sub­stantiate your claims when you made them."

The following unedited essay is Mr. Green's 1,719-word response, which was submitted approximately 300 days after the challenge was first issued. Does Mr. Green succeed in his endeavor? Only you, the reader, can be the judge of that.

As an aside, those interested in the Iroquois mask issue to which Mr. Green refers should note that it has been discussed on the MTS conference MREV:Forum and was the subject of a letter in the Review. The graphic used in the original challenge printed in the Review was identified as a mask of the Iroquois False.Face Society in the book from which it was taken.

We at the Review cordially thank Mr. Green for his thoughtful, eloquent reply, and encourage other readers to express their di­vers opinions on the matter. - Ed.

by Forrest Green III Let's start with the assertion I made

against your journal: To the extent that a racist has anything to do with it, the Michigan Review is used to deliberately promote white supremacy, moreso than any other Ann Arbor publication I've read so far. I realize that this essay comes long after your challenge to me. How­ever, the principle underlying my origi­nal statement, truth in the face of false­hood, is far more important to me than entertaining the public. This was an ef­fective beginning for counter-racist dis­course. Frantz Fanon said, "Mastery of language affords remarkable power." So maybe some justice can come from the communication that my power has af- . forded.

I'd rather not waste precious time trying to debate useless terms and argu­ments, "Who's the real oppressor?" and

all of that. In Textbook For Victims of White Supremacy, Neely Fuller, Jr" defines a "cycle of racism" as "racism that is prac- . ticed in such manner that its existence and/ or its seriousness can only be

racism as lithe most ugly and hypocriti­cal form of racism there is," This writer then masterfully posits black people in the place of white people, as the benefi­ciaries of systemic racism as practiced by

and/or "anti-color" in the physical make-up or appearance of persons.

3. Racism "for the sake of" rac­ism.

'proven' by those ....-------------------------....... --, Off the top, I can count four of you who in the last year wrote to suggest that racism is caused by peop Ie other than white people: Adam DeVore, Doug Thiese, Brian Schefke and Tony Ghecea. Now, let

who are practicing it, and those who are the victims of the practice." On that note, let's see how neatly my assertion fits this definition as a victim's proof -and how your reac­tion in these very pages goes so much further to prove the

Expect continued racial attacks made upon, and racial exhibits made of, black people who speak simply and fearlessly against white supremacy. These "exhibitions" might follow the lines of ... President-elect Bill Clinton against activist Sister Souljah in the summer of 1992. us pretend that each

and every victim of white supremacy who

same thing. In the February 12, 1992, issue of the

Review, a malicious barrage of insults and false statements were directed at me, in response to my February 6, 1992, col­umn, "Notes From Underground." The violence culminated in a challenge to me, next to a hideous Iroquois Indian "coon face" that, to many people, seemed a demonstration of vicious racism. Adam DeVore skillfully referred to the mask as coming from a "false face society," im­plying that because the mask was not speCifically Afrikan, this was not a racist act. But in truth, the intended effect of the mask, regardless of its origin, was racist violence. It was correctly understood as such by your readers, because obviously, many different "false faces" have been displayed in the Review, at many different times - all of them to­wards the same end of

the U.s. government. None of the state- responds to this system with "the hate ments about racism on the flyer are true. that hate produces" is a racist. Even if this

This writer has chosen to ignore the were true - and it'isn't - the combined truth that the dominant soci~material power of all of these "racists" put to-system throughout the known universe gether still equals zero in comparison to is dominated by white people, and 4sed-"'~'~the power collectively possessed by white to subjugate all non-white people - in- supremacists. And so, with a bit of togi-eluding Asian Americans - at all times, cal deduction, your arguments about "re-and in all places. Having made these verse racism" become as comical as hear-deceitful statements to pretend that white ing the Big, Bad Wolf beg Little Red people are the victims of "black su- Riding Hood for mercy after eating her premacy/' this writer then proceeds to goddamned grandmother. And just as promote the elimination of the compen- ridiculous. satory practice of affirmative action. This In short order, the Review has been writer apparently believes that "equal used to attack the Afrocentric academic rights" means no compensation for the movement, the U-M Black Student unjust status quo in this country, which Union, and UeAR, all of the counter-is none other than white supremacy. This racist systems, In attempting to "justify" flyer itself is a racist act. these racist attacks, you've senselessly

On this note, here are three compen- tried to erase the very real effects of rac-satory":functional defi- ism on people of color, while trying to

promoting white su- Adam DeVore, premacy. tl

There have been you apparen Y

nitions of "white su- invent a "black racist" who doesn't exist. premacy" (from Text- Your journal has been used to "expand" book For Victims of White the effects of racism - by convincing Supremacy): angry black people that they are some­

many other insulting at- believe that by tempts at expanding 1. The direct or and refining racism the sheer force of indirect subjugation of

made on this campus in your petty in- all "non-whit.e" the past year. Most no- people by white tably, a confusing flyer suIts, you could people, for the basic telling white people to k I purpose of IIpleasing" "tell someone aboutrac- ma e me ose and/or serving any or

ism" has caught my eye. faith in my mis- allllwhite" persons, at The anonymous writer • all times, in all places, of this flyer refers to the Slon. Arrogant in all areas of activity,

compensatory practice maggot you're including economics, of affirmative action as ' education, entertain-"racism specifically de- pathetic. ment, labor, law, poli-signed to discriminate tics, religion, sex, and against white people war. and Oriental people:' He or she proceeds 2. The only functional racism, in to define efforts made by U~M faculty existence, among the people of the and administration to compensate for known tmiverse, that is based on "color"

r«··-~<'""""~'·«~·">''''».."''>"<..",,v ____ ''' __ '_~)·l''I\'\'m~~~

how the racists - and "refine" the status quo of racism, by trying to make non­white people" comfortable" with the sys­tem of racism. Both acts are themselves methods of promoting white supremacy (racism).

My biggest problem with the "re­verse racism" assertion is that I tend to place more importance on actions, and systems, th~ thought and speech. And I'm tired of hearing people talk about how good they are when it comes to rac­ism, so I'm making two suggestions here: If Afrikan people would stop pacifying ourselves and act - united under our blackness to solve our collective prob­lems as a people - we would move forward towards the goal of ending white

January 6, 1993

supremacy. If people who have bought "white" as a description of themselves, would take responsibility for themselves as people, and not "whites" - that means stop trying to reinvent yourselves as "white" and "innocent" through igno­rance and deceit - we would move for­ward towards the goal of eriding white supremacy.

Probably the best part of the entire controversy between your paper and me was hearing the truth pop out of so many mouths, without bidding. The "refine­ment stage" of white supremacy depends upon how painlessly that cycle of racism can continue without the truth coming out, without snags, like my revelation. Based upon my observations of the Re­view, Afrikan people, white supremacy and the U-M, here are some more things to watch for as the cycle continues to break down:

1. Expect continued lengthy, philosophical assertions by writers ar­guing the "counter-productiveness" of thinking in terms of blackness, asking black people and other people of color to think "more logically," or "color­blind," i.e., "colorless," i.e., "white."

2. Expect continued racial attacks made upon, and racial exhibits made of, black people who speak simply and fearlessly against white supremacy. These "exhibitions" might follow the lines of verbal attacks made by MSA representative J. William Lowry upon Network for Equal Economic Develop­ment advisor Safiya Khalid on March 24,1992, and President-elect Bill ainton against activist Sister Souljah in the summer of 1992.

3. Expect continued attempts by white political organizations, newspa­pers, power groups, etc., to confuse, misguide, dislocate and deceive people of color speaking and/or acting to unite as victims. These wi}l include:

a. The "pointing out" by white writers, politicians and media of "divi­sions" between black intellectuals, activ­ists and scholars concerning the" estab­lished" "black line," in order to confuse and separate black people.

b. The "pointing out" by writers of "contradictions" and I or" dividedness" in black diversity of thought, in order to confuse attempts to unite under black­ness among black intellectuals, activists, students, workers, etc. Expect more writ­ers trying to divide black intellectuals between H conservative" II American" ide­ology, and "backwards" "black rheto-

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW

~~

ric." Also, expect writers asking black intellectuals to "drop" black ideology that is "stubborn," "divisive," "racist," "anti-American," "anti-Semitic," "anti­etc."

c. Increased attacks by white po­litical organizations and media upon non-white people in academia, non­white political organizations, etc., as be­ing "the new racists," "thought police," "extremists," "destroyers of free speech," "destroyers of American traditions," "de­stroyers of etc."

4. Expect eventual progression of terms, leading to more confrontatiens between non-white people and white supremacists. Expect eventual abandon­ment by victims of confusing, useless terms, such as "reverse racism," IIblack racist," IIprejudice," etc. Expect more victims speaking and acting effectively against white supremacy.

On this note I'd like to thank as mapy friends and inspirators as I can remem­ber for pushing me along to this point in history: Randall Kirk Gibbs, Turahn Dorsey, Lester Spence, Kofi Boone, E'.M.W., Scott Sterling, Devlin Ponte, Neely Fuller, Jr., Chuck D., Harry Allen and Elaine Green. Black men and woman, your strength is appreciated. The struggle continues. As for you writers of the Re­vieuJ, I will admit that your recalcitration gave me juice at times when there was no reason to continue. Adam DeVore, you apparently believe that by the sheer force' of your petty insults, you could make me lose faith in my mission. Arrogant mag­got, you're pathetic. It's people like you who make it all come down so much more quickly.

As I said last year, the Review was, at the time, the most striking example I could find of the deliberate promotion of white supremacy in Ann Arbor. The few times I've glanced at a copy of the Review this year, it seemed as if little has changed since then. You should use the truth that has been revealed about your journal to create justice, but at any rate, I leave you with' the following words on justice ver­sus racism:

White supremacy breeds opposition to white supremacy.

Non-justice breeds opposition to non-justice.

Incorrectness breeds opposition to incorrectness.

This is the Law of Compensation, which can be used to explain each and every act of progress throughout the known universe, including the comple­tion and submission of this essay.

&! NEW

iDEAS I •

V/GORJ

«1~o\Yol.W" ie.W-AGER ~ ~TI<ON6 ANTI-GUN t..P>,W \S ?A~'OE.P~

e.~~\<.~ Iii::> 'OPR~D\l\\c;,.~ WJ.l~T lCO IT?

~~--~----""-"~,,~~-,.,-.. -~.~,-.--.~ .. -.,.-.----. .----_~=, '':":.:'~=t;::'~~_-___ ,.'''::;;~;;;;';';;;;'~;;;~~~::'

PRESIDENT 't· '.

,. ~ '.

tpfGOONA [X) rr ....

WOUlmi ~ ~!

I~b~

"lRo 061. Et)" \~E~· AGE.R

7

~w,o~G A~il-GON l.~W It;, ?p..'O'S~D!

-( ~r~

~~ ~

~

..

8 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW January 6, 1993

Book Review \;

- 11 ,,'

Disrupting the Sciences with Social Theory Dlaruptlve Voices: The Possibilities of Femln/at RfNIeMCh Michelle Fine University of Michigan Press Softcover 267pga.

by Brian Schetke Disruptive Voices is the latest title in

the UniverSity of Michigan Press' "Criti­cal Perspectives on Women and Gender" series. This particular volume explores issues in feminist scholarship and a femi­nist philosophy of research.

Compiled by Michelle Fine, an ass0-

ciate professor of psychology in educa­tion at the University of Pennsylvania, the book is actually a collection of essays on social research written or co-written by Fine.

In the first essay, "Feminist Trans­formations of/ despite Psychology," Fine and her co-author, Susan Merle Gordon, explore the effects that feminist scholar­ship has had on the field of psychology . Fine and Gordoo cooduded that although

there is "a vibrant strain of feminist psy­chology ... the transformative impact of feminism has been sorely lacking."

Gordon and Fine feel that feminism has not penetrated the mainstream of psychology; mainstream psychology, the authors believe, leaves fundamental questions of power and gender unan­swered and insufficiently explored. "In our attempts to bring feminism to psy­chology," they write, "we have ... re­fused questions of power asymmetry and defaulted to the benign studies of gender differences."

Whatever academic criticisms one might lodge against feminist science, one must commend Gordon and Fine for openly and forthrightly admitting that the nature of their enterprise is to bring feminism to psychology, or put more explici tly, to impose a social activist para­digm on science. Even if one believes that the element of bias per se is not new, its flagranl=Y is remarkable.

The authors maintain that psychol­ogy has historically maintained a fal".,

9:30 10

5:00 • MONDAY ; TUESDAY ;WEDNESDAY THURSDAY • I '

11 :00 1,-30 1:30 1:30 0 , : 30 1:30 . 9:30 10 10 to 10 10 to to

6:00 9:00 9:00 9:00 1:30 6:30 6:00 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY ,WEDNESDAY THURSDAY • I '

12:00 1',:30 9:00 9:00 9:00 . 9:00 9:30 to 10 10 TO 10 TO 10 4:00 1:00 1,,00 6:00 6:00 6:00 5:00

Main Bookstore: 549 East University

URE THAN A BOOKSTORE

ArUEngineering Store and Electronics Showroom:

17 South University Phone: 313-662-3201 Monday-Friday 9:00-6:00 Saturday 9:30-5:00 Sunday Noon to 4 :00

pretense of objectivity which has dis­torted or ignored important questions about (for example) the social construc­tion of gender roles while parading in the guise of neutrality. As a result, they con­tend, "the social relationships and con­texts in which women weave their lives are excluded as if irrelevant .. . " Thus, Fine and Gordon believe, traditional psy-

Fine's book unfortunately drifts from one topic to another rather freely, often at the expense of confUSing or conflating distinct subjects. The essay "Silencing and Nuturing Voice in an Improbable Context: Urban Adolescents in Public School" discusses the alleged opposition to dialogue on topics such as racism and power inequities at a public high school

[O]ne must commend Gordon and Fine for ... admitting that the na­ture of their enterprise is ... to impose a social activist paradigm on science. Even if one believes that the element of bias per se is not new, its flagrancy is remark­able.

in New York City. Relatively little of

this essay focuses on women; it instead addresses these much broader issues which she alleges are taboo in public school sys­tems - social ills un­doubtedly of interest to maJ.lY but of dubi­ous relevance to im­proving the New York City public schools. Though

chology is not politically neutral after all; many of the students involved in Fine's the politics of oppression and "h~ge--"-'study were f~male, the essay delves more mony" are perpetuated through a false deeply into issues of race and class rather sense of objectivity. Fine and Gordon than gender, topics which Fine ties to-therefore propose a "political feminist gether in her call that "we recognize the psychology." Through "novel ways of extent to which these institutions learning" and by exciting "feminist imagi- [schools] nonetheless participate in the nations toward interruptive questions of very reproduction of race, class, and gen-epistemology, methodology, methods, der inequities." ,ff

and p'olitics," Fine and Gordon wish to Fine in this study seems to use little begin a project of psychology with social feminist construction and instead places change as its goal. the study into a wider political context-

This general outlook is frequently a revealing tactic which leaves the re<1der " espoused ~y feminist authors, including more curious about potentially ulterior .. Sandra H4rding (Whose Science? Whose motives for (or secondary objectives of)

Knowledge?'} and any number of so-<:alled this work than the subject matter of the post-modem theorists in any number of essay itself. fields, from anthropology to literary criti- In "Beyond Pedestals: Revisiting the cism. Much of this criticism and theoriz- Lives of Women with Disablities," Fine ing appears self-defeating, however, for and co-author Adrienne Asch explore an in the name of fairness or breaking down issue not often found in feminist litera-histOrically constructed obstacles, it im- ture. Here, Fme and Asch find that women poses its own ideological and theoretical with disablities suffer the oppressive-presuppositions. In its haste to liberate, n~ of sexism compounded by the prob-much au courant theory only confines in lems of disablity. The adversity experi-new ways. enced by the handicapped, according to

One may wonder, moreover, Fine and Asch, result more from society's · whether Fine's feminist research can ac- ideas about disability rather than the con-

o tualIy illuminate any new or scientifi- ditions themselves. They write, "It is the cally reliable knowledge. By so sharply attitudes and institutions of the defining not only the context but also the nondisabled ... that tum characteristics goals of her research a prio~ Fine's project into handic~ps." Here, as elsewhere, there seems to amount to a politically trendy is a grain of truth in what Fine has to say; study of a self-fulfilling prophecy. She all evaluative judgements about prob-will "discover" exactly what she has set lems, disabilities, and other matters -out to find. Is Fine pioneering a new and about how to respond to them -psychology, or is she committing - in must be made relative to some standards, the name of social change - the same whether those be standards of what is mistakes which she accuses her contem- good, right, or simply normal. But Fine's poraries of committing? sometimes accusatory tone and oversim-

":,,,~,~_,~ ____ ,;-; -.::.-;-, .;...N--:. .. ........,_~,.,'"_.,.. ;-... '''''''''_,,~-~:;_· _--';/';;;:'~"'=_=_') ... _"'....."~)'I'<""'~"'''''~-;.''_. _ _ ___ .....",,, ... "~"_.~_~. _______________ ........ _________ --

January 6~- 1"993 -- --

plified attempts at redefinition strain common sense.

Fine and Asch add that disabled women not only face economic hard­ship, but are "exempted" from normal interpersonal relationships. In this re­spect, Fine and Asch argue, disabled women are "doubly oppressed." Unlike many of her contemporary colleagues, Fine is seldom directly critical of men qua men; it is in "Beyond Pedastals," however, that her critical tone reaches its apex. And so she argues that this oppres­sion is rooted in society's, and especially men's, concepts of attractiveness. Because disabled women do not fit, into "male notions of attractivness" and do not dis­play the physical grace and ease that men desire, disabled women are more likely to be rejected,

Fine and Asch further argue that dis­abled women "elicit anxieties about their [non disabled people's] helplessless and needs" especially with respect to men. This also causes men to reject the idea of a disabled mate because they "fear both their ow n and another's dependency and intimae)." Here again her oversimplifi­cahm~ - (lnp" which seem to evinc" only a limited understanding of repro­ductive psychology, anthropology and perhaps natural selection - frequently discredit her analysis; yet such reasoning is the inescapable result of imposing gra­tuitously political theory upon a social science, In her rush to describe gender relations in terms of constructed and con­ditioned prejudice, Fine neglects to con­sider alternate and arguably more plau­sible explanations Jor the phenomena under examination.'

In "Beyond Pedestals" and other dis­cussions, it is plain that Fine's favorite way to categorize people is by race; she typically privileges racial or power-sta­tus premised categorization to kinds of disability. Her phraseology favors terms like 'disabled women of color' to 'women with hearing impairments:

Although Fine provides an interest­ing look at women not normally acknowleged within the feminist move­ment, she and Asch, like many feminists, tend to place men in a monolithic bloc. Fine differentiates between nondisabled and disabled women, women of differ­ent races, women with different view­points within and across such groups, and so forth; but men are simply "men" in Fine's picture and seem to manifest comparatively little diversity of thought and condition. Fortunately, she seldom explicitly gives in to the temptation posed by such grouJrbased thinking.

"Over Dinner: Feminism and Ado­lescent Female Bodies" relates a series of conversations between Fine and her col-

_~,, _ _ ," __ '~ _ _ _ " _'_ -'~ _ _ ~ _________ _ U' __ '~ ____ _ _ _ .. __ ",_-=-",

THEMICHIGANREVIEW ...

,:.'

\ ',' ., ~,.-r

league Pat Macpherson and four teenage girls about "being young women in the 1990' s," Fine and Macpherson use these conversations.to explore feminism as it relates to younger women and how it differs from their ideas on feminism.

Fine and Macpherson note that the young women expressed their feminism through resistance to male domination. Though this may not be much different from their own views, Fine and Macpherson nonetheless felt that testi­mony of young women and their capaci­ties to resist have often been ignored by older feminists.

According to the authors, there were "cultural" differences as well. The two black adolescents were "connected" to other women in a sort of "extension of self." A sense of community pervaded their womanhood, while in the white. and Asian adolescents, "being female" was more individualized and private, less connected to their mothers and fe­male friends.

"Over Dinner" reflects one of the greatest strengths of Fine's book. Much of the book is anecdotal in nature, with excerpts from interviews and stories that

Fine' ssubjects related. This makes for more interesting reading, but at the same time 'IS of little value from a research standpoint: Four adolescent women, while proViding a more intimate conver­sation, are a small sample from which to draw conclusions about feminism and younger women.

Fine heavily cites others' research­and in some cases her own - but it is not until the final essay, "Passion, Politics, and Power: Feminist Research Possibilites," that Fine gives a stronger view of what she feels that feminist re­search should be. (Curiously, Camille Paglia's voice never disrupts Fine's bibli­ography .) This essay is basically a flesh­ing out of the psychology piece. Fine speaks of "activism" and how it is central to feminist scholarship. In such research, she states, "the author is explicit about the space in which she stands politically and theoretically." Furthermore, femi­nist research should "display critical analyses of current social arrange­ments .. ,"

Such candor is admirable, but again raises the question, What would a re­searcher like Fine find that intrinsically

9

differs from what her colleagues would find or have found - other than matters of political interpretation?

Disruptive V aices is essentially the unification of many feminist ideas on the future of feminism. It attempts to show where feminism in the academy is going and thus serves as a harbinger of what may come in the areas of psychology and sociology. Whether feminist input will invigorate and renew academic discourse or simply splinter academic disciplines remains to be seen. Fine's fixation on the trite metaphors of race, class and gender, however, ultimately obfuscates her pre­dictions; her prominent criticisms of vaguely defined social arrangements overshadow the few concrete critiques she offers.

Brian Schefke is a junior in chemistry and cellular and molecular biology and an assistant editor of the Review.

Become a book reviewer for the Review.

Staff meetings Sunday, 7p.m., Michigan League. 3rd Floor

II'Offers To Warm You UprrCardlnaU I Garment Care Centers I 1 . . I

'IEIHl". PIZZA - ~3.'J3 L\IH;I·: PIZZ .\ - ~X.l)3

I A ~edium deep dish or ro~nd pizza II A,Iarge:deep dish or ,round pizza , I' I With cheese and one toppmg only II with cheese and ?ne topping only I

: $5.95 (pl","x). :: $8. 955PI"'iax). :

t@m ~ Val id only at PackardlHill II (2m. ~' . Valid only at PackardlHillI and Broadway locations. . . and Broadway locations.

I ~ Not valid with other offers. I I . .. rtf. Not valid ':Vith other o.ffers· 1 . tIi:::. One coupon per p,zza. ; . ~, One coupon per pIZZa. ,

I So1Jce 1948 ruza Umited delivery area. II ~ 1948rr&lCl Umited delivery area. I L ... ,... ... _~Io> Expires May 1,1993. · ..J L ... :. ·1IIJIIo-_ ... · Expires May 1, 1993 • . .J. ----------- -----~-----

--~'nn Central Campus--546 PackardIHill

769-5555 Since 1948 , J ~ North Campu,··927 MaUknlAn'

Lik. pUll WI5 nwnt to beN 995 -9101

I Authorized U of M Drycleaner

I I We offer • convenient dry cleanlng : pick-up and delivery

,; . , ,at a{l residence hall I " . front oJfices

• I -Shirts I I I

•

-Sweaters -Skirts -Dresses -Slacks

I -Suits

:Jnqutre' ~1;>out our services at . ,your front desk or call us for • the Resiqence Hall Student ,I Prices

• • I I I I I • 971-0442 L ___________ .J

"

.. . ---- - -.. '._--. ..= - " C': ....... _ ..... : ___ ...... - ............ -

"" 10 THE MICHIGAN REVIEW January 6, 1993

'f

Crusty's Corner \t • :b'..i'

1992's Best· New·Music by Crusty Muncher already own it.

Here are my favorites of 1992 in no particular order. ,.' The Jayhawks

and new school ideas. If you want to keep up with ground breaking rap mu­sic, buy this LPand watch for new records from fellow Californian artists Del. the Funkee Homo

one of the year's best jams, and appar­ently Redma:n agrees: the tune appears three times on his debut LP. The rapper is carrying the torch of true, rugged, and

EpMd Business Never Personal

This duo, Erick Sennon and Parrish Smith, take my coveted and prestigious trophy for Artist of the Year. Not only did they release a thump-funk gem of their own in 1992, but they also executive produced cutting edge debutLPs from two of the years most exciting artists: Das EFX and Redman. .

It doesn't get any funkier than "Headbanger,(I a track featuring guest raps from Redman. K-SoIo, and Das EFX, "Cummin' At Cha," with its Cypress Hill sample, and my favorite single of the year, the hit "Crossover."

L7 Bricks Are Heavy

Crude and simple. I said it before, Bricks sounds like the Go-Gosjamming with the Ramones~ I love it.

White Zombie l.A Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. I

White Zombie is making the music Metallica should be making. They are smutty, gaudy, slimy and always heavy. True, vocalist Rob Zombie ,does often sound like a young James H~tfleld, and' many of the riffs are of the geI)eric chug- , ging metal. sort, but Sexordstothrives on ' an undeniably fun groove. From the first chords of "Welcome to Planet Motherfucker I Psychotic SIag" any fan <i heavy rockn' roll will be hooked. While popular hick metal bands. like Metallica, Anthrax, and Megadeth are beginning to sound out· dated and stu­pid, White Zombie is mak­ing a hip brand of post-mod­em noise.

Hollywood Town Hall The Jayhawks, a Minneapolffi.;based

country rock band, released ar:ecord on the independent TwinlTone lagel dew years ago. HollywQod TOwn Hall; the band's major label debuton ,pef Aroeri­can,is quite a captivating collection 9f Neil Young-influenced wor~ with soothing southern harmonies'and tones"

Overwhelming Colo'rfast Overwhelming Co.Jorfast

Husker Do meets Matthew Sweet, Hipster producer"ButchVig (Nirvana, Sonic YO\,lth, House of Pain) twiddled the knobs on this one. .

Sapien and Freestyle Fellow­ship.

Various Artists ' Tht. Hill That's Reai .. '

.' Brownsviuei.s · a see'tion of B~ook ..

' lyn, New York, and 4th and B'Way Records . has fa..,

. honest P-funk. Like a zillion rappers, Red­man is inspired by Georg e Cijnton's old Parliament! Funkadelic re-. cords; but h~ .· _'0

outfunks . his . competition by . a long shot.

leased a compila': The '.' .B.rand tionof mllUin~S.t , New Heavies and jazzy hiP-h0p Heavy Rhyme

Bad Religion from a few of the Experience: Generator area's mOst tal~ Vol. I

Vocalist Greg Graffinis.stu:dyingfor ented artists; The Iloved Jast • his Ph.D. at Cornell University. During , albumisthe first '.. year's debutof his summer vacations. and semester of a series of compilations of music from r~tr~funkfrom the Heavies and thought breaks he records and tours with his skillful rappers in select American citi~",,,, .. ,, that it would be cool to hear a rhyme over seminal west coast pllllk band. Since 1980 .. Thebeatsar~ hard core and tl:\e rhymes many of the instrumental tracks. In 1992, these gUys havebeenspewirigbUtreoords " are toughedhari mostj especihlly on "Exit. the group released a sonically stellar hip-ofaddictlve a.ndspeedy·hardcore. Un- " 21 South" from~female nl~per 41t Also hop alburriwith completely live accorri-like the typical hardcore band, Bad appearing: On ' . ... paniment that Religion's ~usicr,eyolves aroundcatchy . theLPisanotlier ' " features Black melodies inspired'Uyold lnsh foIl< tuneS .' ferrialerapper, Shee p; Gang-instead of Henry RollinS-like caterWatil~ . Big K~ and the starr, and . the ing', : ' ~;., ,:: 'I, . ' ,t "' ;:, ":: 'group!?ASAP . Pharcyde, as well

> • • : . • ' • • " • ' ,: , 1 J arid Big Posse; : : . as dancehall art-KYUss . ' ; " . ; . ... as weUaS aSQlo ists Tiger and Bltiesfor the Rid Sun , .:- :, : ' ,' artist nameq:U',l Jamalski.

These' guysnail from the ' d~sertdr · . Flame. -I .',; ",)

. ' Califorfl'hi : anti n~' rila'ke i:.; ·'th~

coolest ,alld ' Ii~avi~st' Sab-'. bath--af-.hal(-­speed gui tar ,rock . ever. .'. Blue5y and btu- : · tal, . like the records of 'Big : . Chief and Mon- '. · ste( . Magnet, ' this\ubum was produced : by Masters of Re­.edity ~tlt-ma1f

· ChrlsGoss . .

The Bad fivers Delusions of Banjer

The Red Devils Ronnie Wood Slide On This

The Badljvers sport Motorhead and Black Flag t-shirts while playing down-

. home fclklbluegrass. Banjos, fiddles, and a button accordion provide the backbone of these traditional folk works delivered with a punk rockattitude~ Mind you, the songs are not spoiled by punk rock tem­pos or any lack of talent. Butthole Surfer . PaulLeaiy prOduced this record of pretty and pure, hillbtJly.tunage.

MarkC ' ' urry It's Only Time

As far as I am concerned this is the best. LP to come from anyone in the Stones carnp in over a decade. With the help of Living Colour's Doug Wimbish, the Hot~ house Flowers, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, and many other special guests, Ronnie Wood has releas.ed an album of R&B­tinged rock n' roll that far too many are ignoring. Sell your crappy Mick Jagger and Keith Richards solo efforts to buy

. this record.

The Red Devils King King

A.rrested Development

Arrested Development The Pharcyde Bizarrt Ride II The PhaTcyde

Mark Cuny grew up on Motorhead and .a slew of punk bands and then dis­covered Motown and Otis Redding. This debut is an acoustic4>ased albUm of soul­ful~ ,Redding~influenced melodies and

If .my memory serves me correctly, the Fabulous Thunderbirds were the last blues band to sell tons of records; no doubt it's about time for another. The T­Birds were. a little cheesy and not as purist as the Red Devils. King King is a live record of traditional barstool blues, and it is nice to see a major label put some cash behind a band keeping rock's roots alive. Lots of harp, grit, guitar, and soul.

3 Years, 5 Months, & 2 Days in the Life of.. .

A superb debut of positive, hippie rap from the southland. Y04 probably

, ! i

Finally the west coast is beginning to catch up with the east with sOme cool new school flavor of, thciroWl\; Thedtyme styles are waCky; the lyrics cornedic,arid the beats are a tasty blend of old 'sCMol

sad stories of loss. .

Redman .' Whut?ThteAlbum -' +thought "Blow¥our Mind" was '

January 6, 1993

Mary J. Blige What's the 411?

Contemporary R&B with a street punch. I dunno, I just dig it.

Mary J. Blige

The Beastie Boys Check Your Head

Three white boys doing what they do best: kickin' crazy rhymes and playin' punk rock.

Cracker Cracker

Former Camper Van Beethoven stud David Lowery threw together a new band and a new record of witty rock n' roll with a twist of country. Great lyrics. This Lowery guy is quite a clever one.

MC Serch Return of the Product

This is Serch'sfirst solo outing since 3rd Bass broke up. The production is top notch, with lots of upright bass and big drum beats. Product is sonicaJJy tl:)e year's best and definitely the most consistent hip-hop release of 1992.

M"rlcCrt"y

THE MICHIGAN REVIEW 11

• ~t

,~,

~ ~Af'

D.eath ,to ,Guns N' Roses? Another great record of 1992 was Cop. per Blue from ex-Hiisker Dil songwriter Bob Mould and his new band Sugar. Review staffer Joe Epstein and a couple DJs from a Bowling Green University radio station spoke with Mould and bandmates Dave Barbe (bass) and Malcolm Travis (drums) when the band passed through Ann Arbor. The following snippets have been ex­cerpted from their conversation.

Q: I've read a lot of reviews about the album. People are calling it this, that and the other thing, compar­ing it to Hiisker 00. I was wonder­ing what the band thinks of that?

Barbe: Well, I think it pretty much stands on its own. It doesn't really sound like anything that's out there right now. And as far as the Husker Dii comparison, I've heard it too, but I think that is kind of a cop out.

Travis: Yeah, I'm sick of it. Barbe: It's not my comparison, I don't care. I do feel that if you listened to Copper Blue and compare it with a Husker Du record, the differences would be startling. That is just a comparison people are going to make, but it is really short-sighted.

Travis: It is really hard to be objective when you're in the eye of the hurricane. Husker is still a great band, but we are nothing like them, except for Bob.

Barbe: But even then, his technique is different. Shit, it has been almost six years. If there are any similarities, it just shows how important he was to that band.

Q: Was it at all intimidating to start a band with Bob Mould?

Travis: I knew him as just a person before I got into a band with him. He produced a record of myoid band and since I am the drummer, I wasn't really into [former HUsker Oii drummer) Grant Hart's soUnd at all, so I wasn't a big Husker Dii fan. So, I wasn't intimated but rather happy to be involved with a really great song writer.

Barbe: I wasn't really intimidated by it, but this was the first time I had been in a band with someone who has an estab­lished way of working, and it is an inter­esting process to get used to somebody else's work habits. Fortunately ours are very, very similar. We have been friends for several years and he's a great player

and a great guy. I was flattered he wanted to work with me. I wasn' t really intimi­dated by it.

Q: Is Sugar only a short term project?

Mould: This is what I plan on doing until it doesn't work anymore. Then I don't

Sugar

know what I'll do next. I don't plan on this ending for a while. We are still work­ing out the bugs. There are going to be nights when it is a little sloppy, nights when it's really inspired, nights when it's a little unfocused. All the things all bands go through in the beginning. There is a lot of energy right now. It's sort of wacky.·

Q: What do you think of punk rock's rise in popularity, influence and pro­gression?

Barbe: Well you would have to think it would because it has so far already. If a band came out today with the safety pins all over and spiked hair, people would laugh at them because it would be as silly to them as it was to me when I saw people dress up as Elvis when I was a kid. Punk rock had so many different off-shoots like hard core and all the melodic, heavy guitar bands of the eighties. Bands like The Fall, PIL, probably wouldn't happen if it wasn't for punk rock. It's all related and it's still shooting off. My Bloody Valentine doesn't seem on the surface to have anything to do with the Buzzcocks but certainly has something to do with Husker Du and, as Bob would tell you, HUsker Oii had something to do With the Buzzcocks... . {

Mould: It all gets passed around. . ~

Barbe: And the Buzzcocks probably had something to do with the Stooges or some­thing before them. Of course it will progress. It has to or else ...

Mould: It all goes through different name changes. People want to call it grunge, people want to call it this or call it that. Basically, it comes down to it is just the good music. Pretty much everything else out there is just bullshit because it's not

--~===,--.-,--""""-," .. ,,, .. ,=:;::,..,-,------

very adventurous.

Barbe: Punk rock has become more of a work ethic than anything else. Fugazi may just be setting the tone for what the punk rock work ethic is. Take the direct approach, don't rip people off and tell the truth.

Q: What do you think of the in­creasing commercial/corporate nature of many so-<alled alterna­tive bands?

Barbe: It's a joke. It's sad. Those bands suck and they probably know it. Tome Jane's Addiction is no more of an alternative than

Foghat was when I was in high school. It's the same damn thing. Pearl Jam. Give me a break, man. Those bands suck. The cool thing is that that trend is going to continue. Just like there were a million funk-metal bands two years ago and the y'~aI' before that. There were all these bands that wanted to be J. Mascus, not Dinosaur Jr., they just wanted to be J. Mascus.It is going to keep going until it gets so sickening that another revolution will occur. It will be just as emotionally violent as the seventies punk rock revo­lution. Some 18-year-old kids are going to have to stand up and say "This sucks! What you think is hip and trendy is just as every bit as bullshit as Guns N' Roses. Death to it. Death to you if you like it!" There will be a revolution.

Mould: How many more of these phony bands can we take?

Barbe: It seems that everybody thinks there hasn't been a punk rock revolution in recent years but really there are a lot of kids listening to rap music now and that is the most recent youth revolution.

Q: Was signing with an independent label an easy decision for you?

Mould: Yeah. I went around to all of the major labels and they're crazy. They want to give you 'a million bucks and then you owe them a million records in sales. I'm not into that. Why would you take . a mortgage out on a house you couldn't afford in your wildest dreams? You'll lose it in a couple of years anyway.

Barbe: Those record deals these bands get are not gifts, they're loans. It's an obligation - you're selling your soul to the devil, basically. But not even that. Your leasing your soul to the devil.

~

~

i

I I I

~ I I

\

..

,

.~

t \

~.~',; 1

~;

r

.';:.

7.!;..

Ii ~ .

Ii i. i

. ~ ,

T he Michigan ~evi~w is the Establishment, and v:e cordially invite you to ~me a.part of It. Jom the ranks of some of the finest mmds on campus as we fight

against political correctness, restrictions on liberty, the politicization of the classroom, and alcohol-free beer. We are always looking for new writers, researchers, photogra­phers, artists, production personnel, advertising sales representatives, business per­sonnel, and future editors. Stop by our mass meeting at 7 p.m., Sunday, January 10, on the third floor of the Michigan League, or call 662-1909 for details.

The Michigan Review has been mentioned as a leader among its type of publication in U.S. News & World Report, and has received complimentary . .remarks by editors

of the Wall Street Journal and the Detroit News. The Michigan'Review's staffhas also accumulated a vast wealth of writing awards.

We have been cite~ or quo:ed in such noteworthy places ~s the Rush Limbaugh Show, W JR-AM m DetrOIt, the Ann Arbor News, the DetroLt News, the Wall Street

Journal, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Time, 60 Minutes, and Radio Free Europe. Members of the Michigan Review staff have also been published in periodicals such as the Detriot News, the Michigan Economist, and Business Today. If you would like the opportunity to be involved in all of this and more, become a part of the Establishment, and join the Michigan Review.

MASS MEETING FOR ALL INTERESTED STUDENTS SUNDAY, JANUARY 10,1993, AT 7:00 PM

ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE MICHIGAN LEAGUE TilE

~IICHIGAN REVIE'"

~-:::::-;.::;;:.:.~-=.:~:" ;;;;:..~;;...,~,;';:~.-':::;;';:--::;::-;::-;:-..- . . . ~ .. __ ~:=" :;.:;:: :~~':;:' ..... " ...... _ ... ,_ . __ .A S:::::C=.~" .... __ "",.""..-..,. ...,, __ ,_."' ~_. ~"'l~'~' .. _ .. ?em~ ,,~ 'If" r ,