To each his own values
I’ve traveled extensively, and I’ve studied in the United States for three years. I’ve learned about Americans’ culture and values. Americans share values, but individuals differ in how they practice them in society.
Coming from Kuwait, I love history, poetry and practicing traditional methods of eating, greeting others and playing music. I can’t find friends with these interests in this society. Everyone wants to be “modern.” What does “modern” mean? People always answer “to be cool.” When I ask those in my age group what “cool” means, the answer differs, based on identity.
My identity hasn’t changed. I’ve practiced things like praying and playing my favorite sport. While staying with an African-American host family, I practiced an old traditional Arabic method of eating off the floor, using only three fingers of one hand. The family was surprised. They asked me to eat at the table. I responded, “This is my culture; this is where I come from — a society where we feel warm using the floor for eating.”
I feel free to pray, play my Arabic musical instrument and wear traditional clothes at home and other events.
In all the countries, my friends ask me to teach them my behaviors, but not the values. The host family tried to teach me both the behaviors and the values. I like that. However, I don’t identify with American values. I have my own , which characterize my identity. But I do behave like a “normal” American to show respect for their values.

Khaled Al-janai

junior

political science

The definition of real fans
Is that all we get?
I’m glad that the football team appreciated the efforts of students who spent Monday waiting in line for Civil War tickets, and I appreciated the article that the Emerald ran Monday about the student fans. However, I was disappointed to open the paper Tuesday to find the only mention of the thousands of students who spent their Monday waiting for tickets was from the team’s perspective.
My disappointment turned to offense when I saw the last page of the Emerald, a full-page Nike ad featuring Coach Bellotti and the slogan, “The definition of a true fan.” After being at Autzen on Monday, I’d like to add a few more definitions.
How about “Camps out Sunday night to get a good spot Monday morning and still waits in line five hours”; or “Misses an entire Monday of classes to wait outside in the middle of November”; or “Bonds with fellow linemates as they chant ‘Cutter!’ to anyone attempting to join the line midstream”; or maybe “Spends the last two hours of the line squeezed between barricades like a can of sardines”; or “Hobbles away from the ticket window eight hours later, feeling as victorious as the football team will Dec. 1?”
No offense, Coach, but I think we know who the real fans are.

Rachel Seay

junior

music

Real war involves suffering
I’m confused about the sports headline appearing on the Nov. 27 edition of the Emerald. The second line reads, “Preparing for war: The Ducks prepare to take up arms against the Beavers.”
For some reason, I thought that preparation for war involved training to kill, and preparing for the possibility of being killed, and that the term “taking up arms” refers to tools that can kill, namely guns.
Our brothers and sisters are dying today, in a real (though undeclared) war. It’s one of many wars happening in our world. The Ducks are going to be tossing a piece of rubber around and running back and forth on a field, while a lot more people jump up and down and pretend that those activities are important and have meaning.
Go ahead and have fun, but please do not demean or diminish suffering by confusing this game and those who play it with the horror experienced by those involved in real warfare.

Steve Shapiro

Officer of Administration

Columnist should

do her research
I am writing in response to the irresponsible column “The Anti-Liberator” (ODE, 11/26). The author clearly stated she didn’t attend the performance because she “didn’t want to support it,” and yet she still felt she could comment on Sprinkle’s activities. Debenham ignored her duty as a journalist to fully research an event she was covering.
As a journalism student myself, I know opinion columns require the same amount of research as other journalistic styles — if not more. Whether she agreed with the content of the show or was inhibited by her puritanical hypocrisy, she and the ODE did the University a disservice by printing an unfounded opinion.
This program was designed in order to educate and enlighten the campus community about the pornography industry, and there was time built into the format for questions and answers. If she did not wish to “support” the event, Debenham could have requested a complimentary ticket from the Cultural Forum, as did other anti-pornography activists, which the Cultural Forum gladly provided. Debenham had ample opportunity to fulfill the principles responsible journalism is founded on, but instead she chose ignorance out of laziness.
I agree that most pornography does not portray women in a positive manner, but sexual prudishness is not the same as feminism, and it shouldn’t be misconstrued as concern for women. In the future, I hope Debenham learns to uphold her duties as a reporter and that the editor requires the staff to better research their opinions.

Windy Borman

Cultural Forum

performing arts coordinator

Column was sprinkled

with inaccuracies
As a self-identified feminist interested in sexuality and expression issues, including pornography, I was excited “feminist porn activist” Annie Sprinkle visited to the University. I’m aware not everyone was enthusiastic. When I saw Debenham’s column (“The Anti-Liberator,” ODE, 10/26), I was interested in the views of a woman who sees Sprinkle’s work as “anti-liberating.” I was disappointed.
I respect Debenham’s opinion that “pornography is no feminist movement,” but found nothing to back up her complaints. Debenham vaguely refers to “numerous articles and interviews” she’s read about Sprinkle; however, she never mentions, names or quotes Sprinkle. Debenham’s generalizations and unsubstantiated allusions suggest Debenham isn’t familiar with Sprinkle’s ideas at all.
I understand Debenham’s not wanting to attend Sprinkle’s show, but to write intelligently, one should know what they’re talking about. Debenham writes, “The way Sprinkle treats sex, one would think people are like stray dogs in heat and sex is nothing more than a self-indulging, biological phenomenon.” I’m curious what prompted this. In her show and the materials I’ve seen, Sprinkle emphasized the spiritual side of sex and hasn’t likened sex to mere animal copulation.
Sprinkle tries to show women (and men) that anyone can be beautiful; she doesn’t adhere to a male-defined idea of beauty. In fact, one of the reasons Sprinkle has become so famous is that she’s one of the first women to direct and produce (as well as star in) erotic, female-oriented films — clearly not just sticking her breasts out to be squeezed.

Leslie Wells

graduate

English

University must

acknowledge Deaf culture
Recent pressure for the University to accept American Sign Language for the second language requirement is exciting. My hope is that the ODE editorial, “N
eeding a decision on ASL now!” (11/05) and letters to the editor will help people realize this language isn’t being treated with the respect it deserves, and the deaf culture is not fully recognized by our school.
Deaf culture is held to a different standard, having to prove the culture. This seems like a form of discrimination. Deaf culture exists within a larger culture, but it has vitality and depth of its own.
It’s disappointing that my school doesn’t realize or rec0ognize that Deaf culture is “valid.” Every day, Johanna Larson-Muhr proves the richness and the validity of the language and culture as she teaches Deaf poetry, stories, history, viewpoints and grammar to her packed language classes. One of the main arguments against accepting ASL for the language requirement is the lack of written literature. It’s important to realize the literature of this culture is primarily oral.
Lack of funding is easily solved. Grant money could support the program until it’s self-supporting. Finding staff for the program wouldn’t be difficult. Larson-Muhr pointed out there are many teachers who would quickly transfer here if we were to adopt an ASL program.
I beg the University to take a second look at their awareness (or lack thereof) of Deaf culture. ASL is worth teaching. It’s worth learning and accepting for the second language requirement.

Courtney Misslin

post-baccalaureate student

French, linguistics