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THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Thursday, September 14,1995 Opinion Managing/Opinion Editor: Celeste Cox Telephone: (209) 278-5732 From the Top Christine Malamanig Bisexuality hiding in Fresno's closet Bisexuality, homosexuality, androgyny, sexlessness. The concept of acknowledging something other than the socially expected and accepted heierosexuality is gaining acceptance ev¬ erywhere - except at the home of the mighty Bulldogs. With the rest of the nation turning a full 180 degrees on social acceptance of bisexuality and homosexuality, California State Uni¬ versity, Fresno and the city of Fresno are once again behind the times. In X-generation-geared magazines, Calvin Klein has hit upon selling the idea of sexless-looking people as being incredibly sexy. What is surprisingJs that society is buying into it, literally. There are no bulging biceps on men or any buxom women in these ads that sell people more than the product itself. Body curves are kept at a bare minimum. And yet, the clothes and the unisex colognes sell like a strange aphrodisiac. Others have caught onto the CK craze of sexless people as being sexy. Newsweek even did a cover photo that looked very much like a Calvin Klein ad, and it ran a lengthy article exploring bisexuality. And in our very own Kennel Bookstore, there is a poster-sized advertisement on the display rack holding a small variety of nonde¬ script-looking calendars. What customers see, though, is not the blank calendars. Eyes naturally fall to the CK-style black and white advertisement showcasing a mixed group of men and women in jeans and white tank tops. Again, the group of sexless-looking people oozing with sexual¬ ity. Ironic but indisputably attractive to many. Even the realer-than-life TV show Roseanne sealed the issue of homosexuality with a kiss. The particular episode got a lot of people talking. v However, CSUF and the city of Fresno say little about a lifestyle and way of life for many. f- The city and the campus close its eyes, mouths and minds to such a thing. There is no homosexuality and bisexuality here, many think. Yeah, right The Tower district might be what San Francisco was and is to the rest of the world — a hubbub of people from different walks of life, free to be who they are without persecution and strange looks. On campus, there is no such safe zone. Not even in the Free Speech Area. About a year ago. the pink-and-purple student booth belonging td the campus' Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Student Alliance was van¬ dalized. }\ fad been a progressive step forCSUF to even have a booth in the Free Speech Area.lt was progressive that students peopled the booth, meeting like other students do at the booths belonging to the other student organizations. However, the campus' only safe zone lost its place when the booth was maliciously vandalized. Since then, the GLBS A has been a much quieter group on campus. The tolerance level at CSUF is at a low when the rest of the nation's tolerance and understanding level are at a surprisufg high. On campus, you never see a homosexual or bisexual couple do¬ ing all the "normal" couple things, like holding hands, kissing, play¬ ing with each other's hair. OK, almost never. People would stop dead in their tracks if two women walked around holding hands and laughing like they were in love with each other. People would fall dead, period, if the couple were two men instead of two women. It's not just the CSUF campus that is wary of anything that isn't heterosexual. It's also the city. Last weekend, in a local movie theater, there were two different sets of guys slumped in their movie seats ready to watch the very testosterone-driven Desperado starring no other than the manly Antonio Banderas. Between the two pairs were an all-too-safe "I'm-not-a-homo" seat Another pair of guys walked into the theater and sat right next to each other, no space. One of the guys shifted uncomfortably af¬ ter about three seconds, however, and got up to sit one seat down the row. Again, the Tm-not-a-homo" seat prevailed. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Or maybe it's just an unex- Please see SEXUALITY, page 3 A tale of two men called Bob News Not Worthy Shannon Wentworth One Bob, two Bobs, red bob, shoe Bob? In a bid to gain the Republican party nomination for president, the monolingual Senator Robert Dole put his foot in his "mouth while speaking politesse to the 77th na¬ tional convention of the American Legion in India¬ napolis last week. Apparently Dole has tired of the "traditional fam¬ ily values" line and picking on welfare is not the thrill it used to be, so he is now championing the English language as the glue that can keep America together. Well, he can put his foot in his mouth himself, so I'll • let him tell the story. 'The keys to our unity are under attack from our government and from intellectual elite who seem embarrassed by America," he said. Translation: "I want the vote of every klansman and paranoid schizophrenic in America." This strikes me as odd for two reasons: first, America is an immigrant country. As an intellectual elite and American citizen. I am proud of the cultural diversity this country has to offer. Next. Bob sweetie, our "unity." You are talking to a group of men with funny hats on - I certainly don't want to disturb you by indulging in your unity. But as a nation, we are not uni- - fied. Bob Dole and Bill Clinton speak the same language, and I am not seeing a "unity-fest" in Washington. Again, here's Bob: "Insisting that all our Citizens are fluent in English is a welcoming act of inclusion, and insist we must. We need the gUie of language to help hold us together. We must stop the practice of multilingual education as a means of instilling ethnic pride or as therapy for low self-esteem or out of elitist guilt over a culture built on the traditions of the West." Translation: "I am racist, are you? I'd like to keep non-English speakers from being educated so they can't get good jobs and have to go on welfare, then I will be able to attack welfare again." English is the language that is overwhelmingly spoken in the United States. It is important that people are given the opportunity to learn it. in order to com¬ pete in the job market and succeed in America; how¬ ever, one doesn't have to be stripped of their culture just because they speak the white man's language. Oh, and if English isn't taught by someone who knows the student's first language, how. dear Bob, do you propose they learn it? If not in school, where? But let's get back to Bob. The article in the Sept. 5 issue of the Fresno Bee reads, "Dole also condemned history courses that heavily emphasize national shortcomings, particularly past treatment of minorities. In particular, he criticized the 'sanitized' National History Standards proposed by a federal study group, saying they 'glorify other cul¬ tures' and are part of the government's 'war on tradi¬ tional American values.'" Translated: "I don't like having my shortcomings taught to schoolchildren. I don't like other cultures." If by sanitizing National History, Dole means that former practices like slavery and discrimination are criti¬ cized or the Civil War is looked at from both sides of the coin, he is trying to impose a non-objective and na¬ tionalist view of history and thus, thwart any attempt to actually learn from history. I'd really like to know what Dole thinks "traditional American values" are and where I can sign up for this war. Once again from Bob's mouth, now muddled from the shoe jammed inside: "Dole warned that for the na¬ tion to 'return as a people to the original concept of what it means to be American,' it would be necessary to debate subjects 'the arbiters of political correctness' would prefer not to discuss." Translation: "I want to put on a powdered wig and own slaves/' He said, "Our diversity requires us to bind our-, selves to the American idea in every way we can—by speaking one language, taking pride in our true his¬ tory and embracing the tra¬ ditional American values that have guided us from the beginning." . Translated:"I want to oppress people." I just have one question, Bob: since when is English an American language? It is as immigrant and foreign a language to America as Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Laotian. Ital¬ ian, Portuguese, Swahili, German, Hebrew, etc. America is a land of immigrants. This country was founded by people who wanted the freedom to pursue happiness. I think it goes without saying that happiness is found not only among the English-speaking. Immigrant-bashing is gaining momentum as the most popular way to gain a public office for Republicans. But Dole takes immigrant-bashing to a higher level with his condemnation of multilingual education. He is ap¬ pealing to the fear of difference and paranoia of close- minded America. Yet he is a man of many contradic¬ tions. After his speech condemning multilingual education, he refused to sign a pledge to fight against abortion that the Christian Coalition put forth. Apparently, he doesn't want to alienate female voters, but he sure doesn't mind alienating people of culture and people of language. This concludes a two-part series. Catch Shannon Wentworth's News Not Worthy" every Tuesday and Thursday. Daily Collegian - California State Unversity, Fresno - Editor in Chief: Managing Editor: News Editor: Photo Editor: Sports Editor: Assistant Sports Editor: Feature/Clambake Editor: Copy Editor: Graphics Editor: Productions Manager: Business Manager: Advertising Manager: Christine Malamanig Celeste Cox Leah Perich Steve R. Fujimoto Brian Fisher Paul Martinez Draeger Martinez Chui Ming Ang Robert Bilvado Jevon Swanson Paul McCauley Richard Nixon • Collegian telephone directory News: (209) 278-2486 Feature: * (209) 278-2556 Sports: ' (209) 278-5733 Fax: (209) 278-2679 Email: collegian @ lennon WWW: http://www.csufresno.edu'ColIegian Staff Writers: Richard Ahmed, Sean Balasanderum. Jason Boust, Mary DiViccaro, Robin Ford, Matt Hart, Heather Hartman, Chad Holcomb, Maria Machuca, Paul Martinez. Ana Rocha, Erin Smith, Jeff Smith, Doug Stolhand. Reg Wagner. Troy Wagner. Shannon Wentworth. Photographers: Steve R. Fujimoto, Christine Mirigian, Tommy Monreal, Mohamed ElSharif. Advertising: Lupe Fuentes, Jennifer Hermann, Jenni Haire. Computer Assistant: Richard Ahmed Circulation: Ana Rocha The Daily Collegian is published five times a week for and by the students of California State University. Fresno. Opinions expressed in the Collegian are not necessarily those of the entire Daily Collegian staff. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. To be considered for publication, letter must be typed and should not exceed 250 words. ) .
Object Description
Title | 1995_09 The Daily Collegian September 1995 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1995 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Description
Title | September 14, 1995, Page 2 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1995 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Full-Text-Search | THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Thursday, September 14,1995 Opinion Managing/Opinion Editor: Celeste Cox Telephone: (209) 278-5732 From the Top Christine Malamanig Bisexuality hiding in Fresno's closet Bisexuality, homosexuality, androgyny, sexlessness. The concept of acknowledging something other than the socially expected and accepted heierosexuality is gaining acceptance ev¬ erywhere - except at the home of the mighty Bulldogs. With the rest of the nation turning a full 180 degrees on social acceptance of bisexuality and homosexuality, California State Uni¬ versity, Fresno and the city of Fresno are once again behind the times. In X-generation-geared magazines, Calvin Klein has hit upon selling the idea of sexless-looking people as being incredibly sexy. What is surprisingJs that society is buying into it, literally. There are no bulging biceps on men or any buxom women in these ads that sell people more than the product itself. Body curves are kept at a bare minimum. And yet, the clothes and the unisex colognes sell like a strange aphrodisiac. Others have caught onto the CK craze of sexless people as being sexy. Newsweek even did a cover photo that looked very much like a Calvin Klein ad, and it ran a lengthy article exploring bisexuality. And in our very own Kennel Bookstore, there is a poster-sized advertisement on the display rack holding a small variety of nonde¬ script-looking calendars. What customers see, though, is not the blank calendars. Eyes naturally fall to the CK-style black and white advertisement showcasing a mixed group of men and women in jeans and white tank tops. Again, the group of sexless-looking people oozing with sexual¬ ity. Ironic but indisputably attractive to many. Even the realer-than-life TV show Roseanne sealed the issue of homosexuality with a kiss. The particular episode got a lot of people talking. v However, CSUF and the city of Fresno say little about a lifestyle and way of life for many. f- The city and the campus close its eyes, mouths and minds to such a thing. There is no homosexuality and bisexuality here, many think. Yeah, right The Tower district might be what San Francisco was and is to the rest of the world — a hubbub of people from different walks of life, free to be who they are without persecution and strange looks. On campus, there is no such safe zone. Not even in the Free Speech Area. About a year ago. the pink-and-purple student booth belonging td the campus' Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Student Alliance was van¬ dalized. }\ fad been a progressive step forCSUF to even have a booth in the Free Speech Area.lt was progressive that students peopled the booth, meeting like other students do at the booths belonging to the other student organizations. However, the campus' only safe zone lost its place when the booth was maliciously vandalized. Since then, the GLBS A has been a much quieter group on campus. The tolerance level at CSUF is at a low when the rest of the nation's tolerance and understanding level are at a surprisufg high. On campus, you never see a homosexual or bisexual couple do¬ ing all the "normal" couple things, like holding hands, kissing, play¬ ing with each other's hair. OK, almost never. People would stop dead in their tracks if two women walked around holding hands and laughing like they were in love with each other. People would fall dead, period, if the couple were two men instead of two women. It's not just the CSUF campus that is wary of anything that isn't heterosexual. It's also the city. Last weekend, in a local movie theater, there were two different sets of guys slumped in their movie seats ready to watch the very testosterone-driven Desperado starring no other than the manly Antonio Banderas. Between the two pairs were an all-too-safe "I'm-not-a-homo" seat Another pair of guys walked into the theater and sat right next to each other, no space. One of the guys shifted uncomfortably af¬ ter about three seconds, however, and got up to sit one seat down the row. Again, the Tm-not-a-homo" seat prevailed. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Or maybe it's just an unex- Please see SEXUALITY, page 3 A tale of two men called Bob News Not Worthy Shannon Wentworth One Bob, two Bobs, red bob, shoe Bob? In a bid to gain the Republican party nomination for president, the monolingual Senator Robert Dole put his foot in his "mouth while speaking politesse to the 77th na¬ tional convention of the American Legion in India¬ napolis last week. Apparently Dole has tired of the "traditional fam¬ ily values" line and picking on welfare is not the thrill it used to be, so he is now championing the English language as the glue that can keep America together. Well, he can put his foot in his mouth himself, so I'll • let him tell the story. 'The keys to our unity are under attack from our government and from intellectual elite who seem embarrassed by America," he said. Translation: "I want the vote of every klansman and paranoid schizophrenic in America." This strikes me as odd for two reasons: first, America is an immigrant country. As an intellectual elite and American citizen. I am proud of the cultural diversity this country has to offer. Next. Bob sweetie, our "unity." You are talking to a group of men with funny hats on - I certainly don't want to disturb you by indulging in your unity. But as a nation, we are not uni- - fied. Bob Dole and Bill Clinton speak the same language, and I am not seeing a "unity-fest" in Washington. Again, here's Bob: "Insisting that all our Citizens are fluent in English is a welcoming act of inclusion, and insist we must. We need the gUie of language to help hold us together. We must stop the practice of multilingual education as a means of instilling ethnic pride or as therapy for low self-esteem or out of elitist guilt over a culture built on the traditions of the West." Translation: "I am racist, are you? I'd like to keep non-English speakers from being educated so they can't get good jobs and have to go on welfare, then I will be able to attack welfare again." English is the language that is overwhelmingly spoken in the United States. It is important that people are given the opportunity to learn it. in order to com¬ pete in the job market and succeed in America; how¬ ever, one doesn't have to be stripped of their culture just because they speak the white man's language. Oh, and if English isn't taught by someone who knows the student's first language, how. dear Bob, do you propose they learn it? If not in school, where? But let's get back to Bob. The article in the Sept. 5 issue of the Fresno Bee reads, "Dole also condemned history courses that heavily emphasize national shortcomings, particularly past treatment of minorities. In particular, he criticized the 'sanitized' National History Standards proposed by a federal study group, saying they 'glorify other cul¬ tures' and are part of the government's 'war on tradi¬ tional American values.'" Translated: "I don't like having my shortcomings taught to schoolchildren. I don't like other cultures." If by sanitizing National History, Dole means that former practices like slavery and discrimination are criti¬ cized or the Civil War is looked at from both sides of the coin, he is trying to impose a non-objective and na¬ tionalist view of history and thus, thwart any attempt to actually learn from history. I'd really like to know what Dole thinks "traditional American values" are and where I can sign up for this war. Once again from Bob's mouth, now muddled from the shoe jammed inside: "Dole warned that for the na¬ tion to 'return as a people to the original concept of what it means to be American,' it would be necessary to debate subjects 'the arbiters of political correctness' would prefer not to discuss." Translation: "I want to put on a powdered wig and own slaves/' He said, "Our diversity requires us to bind our-, selves to the American idea in every way we can—by speaking one language, taking pride in our true his¬ tory and embracing the tra¬ ditional American values that have guided us from the beginning." . Translated:"I want to oppress people." I just have one question, Bob: since when is English an American language? It is as immigrant and foreign a language to America as Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Laotian. Ital¬ ian, Portuguese, Swahili, German, Hebrew, etc. America is a land of immigrants. This country was founded by people who wanted the freedom to pursue happiness. I think it goes without saying that happiness is found not only among the English-speaking. Immigrant-bashing is gaining momentum as the most popular way to gain a public office for Republicans. But Dole takes immigrant-bashing to a higher level with his condemnation of multilingual education. He is ap¬ pealing to the fear of difference and paranoia of close- minded America. Yet he is a man of many contradic¬ tions. After his speech condemning multilingual education, he refused to sign a pledge to fight against abortion that the Christian Coalition put forth. Apparently, he doesn't want to alienate female voters, but he sure doesn't mind alienating people of culture and people of language. This concludes a two-part series. Catch Shannon Wentworth's News Not Worthy" every Tuesday and Thursday. Daily Collegian - California State Unversity, Fresno - Editor in Chief: Managing Editor: News Editor: Photo Editor: Sports Editor: Assistant Sports Editor: Feature/Clambake Editor: Copy Editor: Graphics Editor: Productions Manager: Business Manager: Advertising Manager: Christine Malamanig Celeste Cox Leah Perich Steve R. Fujimoto Brian Fisher Paul Martinez Draeger Martinez Chui Ming Ang Robert Bilvado Jevon Swanson Paul McCauley Richard Nixon • Collegian telephone directory News: (209) 278-2486 Feature: * (209) 278-2556 Sports: ' (209) 278-5733 Fax: (209) 278-2679 Email: collegian @ lennon WWW: http://www.csufresno.edu'ColIegian Staff Writers: Richard Ahmed, Sean Balasanderum. Jason Boust, Mary DiViccaro, Robin Ford, Matt Hart, Heather Hartman, Chad Holcomb, Maria Machuca, Paul Martinez. Ana Rocha, Erin Smith, Jeff Smith, Doug Stolhand. Reg Wagner. Troy Wagner. Shannon Wentworth. Photographers: Steve R. Fujimoto, Christine Mirigian, Tommy Monreal, Mohamed ElSharif. Advertising: Lupe Fuentes, Jennifer Hermann, Jenni Haire. Computer Assistant: Richard Ahmed Circulation: Ana Rocha The Daily Collegian is published five times a week for and by the students of California State University. Fresno. Opinions expressed in the Collegian are not necessarily those of the entire Daily Collegian staff. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. To be considered for publication, letter must be typed and should not exceed 250 words. ) . |