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Private Acts With Public Funds?
Meaning of Show Misunderstood
Department Offers More More Than Classroom Knowledge
Graffiti Issue Raises Topics of Race, Expression and Society
Return Causes Hope for Trusting Student


Private Acts With Public Funds?

To the Editors:

In response to the editorial blurb on the progress of the BDSM issue that was printed two weeks ago, I would like to offer a point of view which I don't believe anyone has really acknowledged yet.

The issue seems to have quieted down a lot, or at least fallen out of the forefront of Oberlin politics. Maybe this is because the novelty of the idea has worn off and we're all so tired of hearing about students wanting to express themselves freely, and participate in a unique hobby, or whatever you want to call it, and claiming that their rights are being squashed by the administration.

Meanwhile, the administration itself is clamming up because it feels nervous about the kind of reputation that has been allowed to build up at this school, and thinking that by disallowing the SM/BD club to be chartered, they can somehow change the national ratings.

These arguments have just been circulating around this moot point like a herd of hamsters in an obnoxiously squeaky wheel, getting absolutely nowhere. So now the new student tactic is to propose renaming the group "SECURE" - because we all know that BDSM is all about security, right?

I have to say that the idea of a College-sponsored SM/BD club bothered me from the start. I do not object to the presence of such a club at this school, but that they should be sponsored by the College seemed a bit odd, though I didn't realize why at the time.

Then, one day, when discussing the issue with a group of students and random faculty members, I realized what seemed so wrong. Think about it. To me, the whole idea of participating in something like BDSM is that you are doing it in secret. It is not supposed to be publicly accepted; you do it because you don't want to feel "safe," and this is part of the thrill.

Okay, I have never actually practiced bondage and whatnot, but if I did, I would do it for the exact reasons that I have stated. And for those reasons, I would seriously object to and refuse to be a part of an SM/BD club that got money from an educational institution and called itself "SECURE."

Therefore, I think the College should definitely not sponsor a BDSM club at Oberlin, and out of respect for themselves, the potential members of said club should devise some other means of acquiring whatever funds it needs in a way that would not destroy their integrity.

--Lauren Maurand, College sophomore

Meaning of Show Misunderstood

To the Editors:

It was with great consternation that we read J.T. Moriarty's review of our show, the "Transmogrification of Post-Intellectual Myth," in the latest issue of the Review. While Mr. Moriarty seems to grope the basic idea of what we call the subconscious/unconscious art factory, he seems to utterly miss the point of the show as a whole. The total effect of such boorish ignorance seems like a last-ditch attempt at the reinforcement of the ongoing Freemason conspiracy/hegemony that has so grotesquely enveloped popular notions of art in the past decade.

In his opening paragraph, Mr. Moriarty states that - to his carefully tuned eyes - "it was often unclear as to whether or not the artists were simply kidding around."

To be honest, we were. At first. We said, "Gee, why don't we turn this crap we have lying around our house into art so other people can appreciate it on the same level we do?" We giggled at our silliness and plans were begun to have a party to show off these random things that had accumulated in our house over the previous six months.

We slapped a title onto the show, stringing a bunch of big, important sounding words together. The Transmogrification of Post-Intellectual Myth was born. Shortly thereafter, we declared ourselves the Studio 77 Art Collective. Pretty pompous, eh? At least on that level, it is hard to grasp how one could be so oblivious of our humorous intentions. We would be hard-pressed to believe that Mr. Moriarty would know humor if it clocked him upside the head in the form of a rubber chicken wielded by Christopher Lowell.

Then something funny happened: we started planning the show. For starters, we began working together to make sure all this stuff went smoothly. People took on different roles. One of us was in charge of making the little cards for all the pieces. One was responsible for commissioning an essay by C. Benjamin Sirhan, the noted academic who wrote the notes for the catalogue. One was responsible for laying out the catalogue itself. Looking at the project as a whole as a piece of art, in the process of creating it, we actually became a collective.

Still chuckling over this development, we were quite surprised to receive an e-mail from one of our friends with the definition of "transmogrify" in it. We had lifted the word straight out of a Calvin and Hobbes strip because it sounded cool. Turns out that the word means "to transform in a magical or surprising manner." We looked around the assembled collection of items, pieces assembled just for the show (it had lost the quotation marks by that point). They had indeed been transmogrified - turned from a stupid prank into a genuine art project.

Likewise, we began to search for what "post-intellectual myth" might mean. The closest we came was this: the intellectual myth is that everything has the innate potential to be art. The post-intellectual myth, then, is that all that post-modern jargon is a load of phooey. Of course it's not art. It can't be. But, somehow, it is. It became transformed. We had transmogrified the post-intellectual myth! How surprising! It was almost as good as splitting the beer atom.

It is hard to believe that Mr. Moriarty could miss this. He seemed a wholly perceptive chap in the one English class one of us was lucky enough to share with him freshman year. Apparently, three years in this wonderfully progressive institution seem to have terminally softened his brain to a post-modern mush the consistency of rancid cottage cheese. In short, J.T. Moriarty's ignorant review seemed to miss the forest for the trees. While the individual elements of the show could certainly be looked at it with a sly wink and a nod, the show itself cannot. It is a completely new way of looking at the problem of what is art and what isn't. Anybody who says it isn't valid is a fool and a dope fiend.

BUNGHOLE!

The Studio 77 Art Collective,
--Aaron J. Brown, College junior
--Franklin Gould, College junior
--Aaron Hillyer, College junior
--Jesse Jarnow, College junior
--Jason Porterfield, College junior
--Daniel Shiffner, College junior

Department Offers More More Than Classroom Knowledge

To the Editors:

I would like to express my appreciation for the article about the AAST department that was included in last week's edition. I do feel fortunate that we have an African-American Studies department which addresses the variety of ethnic, regional and cultural experiences within our African Diaspora. However, I also believe there are other reasons that our department is outstanding, and these reasons are just as, if not more important to me. So I would like to add a few more examples of why this department provides such a crucial education.

It is necessary for all Americans, and especially African Americans, to have an accurate understanding of the black experience. Though physical slavery has been constitutionally deemed illegal, many of us are still enslaved psychologically by this eurocentric, and in many ways, irrelevant educational system. The mentality of "keep 'em ignorant so that they can't challenge the system" is still evident today.

Many of my courses have taught me a side of history to which I can actually relate! Before I came to Oberlin and started taking courses in this department, it was rare that I could say this in all honesty. Through my classes, I have been able to express certain sides of myself that had been stifled by my eurocentric educational background.

For me, this department serves more than just an academic purpose. I will be able to use the information that I have learned in this department to help members of my community to better understand our history, our cultures and our present day situation. The type of information that we receive in this department is crucial, not only for my own awareness, but for the sake of the black community as well as all other groups who have been educationally deprived of the truths about their own people. For this reason, it is exigent that Oberlin College establishes departments with similar purposes, such as an Asian-American Studies and a Latino Studies department.

This department uses historical facts and academic research to help us to better understand our everyday experiences, as well as to disprove various misrepresentations that prevail throughout American society. The professors have equipped me with the skills to knowledgeably critique and challenge several inaccurate, biased and distorted depictions of the black experience. They have challenged me to take my education into my own hands so that I may continue to learn outside of the classroom.

My experiences within the African American Studies department represent only ONE perspective. In order to receive a more well rounded understanding of how the AAST department has been beneficial to the majors, it is necessary to get several opinions. I want to thank Alita for her attempts to contact other majors. I think it would have been valuable to hear what other students have to say. Also, I would like to clarify that I am a junior, not a senior, so I will see you all next year!

I want to take a moment to thank all of the professors, faculty and staff in the African-American Studies department for everything that they have offered me. Though I have not taken any courses with Professor Jones or Professor Hernton, I know that our department is losing two invaluable professors. I hear testimonies of this all the time from the students who are currently taking their classes. Both of these professors have established legacies that will remain with us for many years to come.

--Aubreya Lewis, College junior

Graffiti Issue Raises Topics of Race, Expression and Society

To the Editors:

Sometimes a student contributes a piece to the Review that is quite offensive, but needs to be said. Leonard Park's "Graffiti Artists Assault Campus" fell far short. While I did find it one of the most offensive articles that I have read in the Review in a while, the utter stupidity and possibly even bigotry of the article was sickening. The topic, while of some importance, was taken much too seriously. While Mr. Park and some members of congress might consider it an impeachable offense, I find it at worst annoying.

The reason I found the article so bad though, was not the topic but the arguments which he used to attempt to prove his point. In the "abstract sense," there really is no comparison possible between graffiti and arson. One defaces property; the other can cause millions of dollars of damage and can kill people. Reading on the walls that us college students are stupid might be a gut wrenching experience for some individuals; it is not comparable to being set on fire or having a few tons of wood and stone dropped on you. While there was a really interesting article in the Library about how Graffiti has been turned into an art form by some, encouraging this activity was not the sole purpose of the Conference.

The fact that one is a cultural minority with a need to express oneself in the face of "oppressive white hegemony" is a very good reason for graffiti. That would be one of the preferred ways to deal with a bad situation. While it might not do much to solve the underlying problems in our society, it can be a healthy way of expressing anger.

The reasons I mention bigotry are your connection between Hip-Hop and arson. The racial groups that comes to mind when I think of Hip-Hop are blacks and Hispanics. I presume that these were the cultural minorities that you were referring to. I also presume that by stating, "If these events are not culturally or racially related, then I retract a majority of this letter..." that you find a direct connection between Hip-Hop and blacks and Hispanics. Yet you make a comparison between Hip-Hop and arson. What are you trying to say about blacks and Hispanics then?

If I took too extreme a position on some of my points, I do not apologize. Unlike Mr. Park, I am not going to say offensive things and then try worming my way out of any criticisms with a minor apology. I stand by my opinions.

--Jonah Schiechen, College junior

Return Causes Hope for Trusting Student

To the Editors:

I write regarding the theft of my possessions in Mudd in early April, which left my sense of trust in the community shattered. Immediately following the publication of my letter in the Review of April 14th, I received word that my bag had been located in the fourth floor stacks of Mudd. Because my bag, and not my jackets, had been returned, I presumed that the person who had committed the theft did so for monetary purposes or material gain. Upon investigating the contents of the bag, however, I found that my camera, by all regards the most valuable item stolen, had been returned, along with my checkbook. Inexplicably, my glasses were the only item left unreturned.

While I am grateful for the return of my property, I am mystified by the turn of events of the past few weeks. I find myself unable to ignore the possibility that my letter may have had some influence on the subsequent return of my items; it is because of this possibility that I write this second letter. The implication inherent in such speculation is that the offender is in some way a part of the Oberlin community, and thus within the influence of the Review. In many ways, this is distressing. But it also gives me hope. I dearly yearn for the return of my glasses, not only because they are difficult to replace, but because, quite honestly, I have difficulty seeing without them.

The fact that my bag was returned serves as testament to the influence of a letter to the editor. Even if nothing else comes of this incident, I have learned that lesson. That my glasses are left unreturned mystifies me, but reminds me that I may not be able to rationalize all actions. I celebrate the return of my possessions, fuzzily lament the loss of my glasses and I continue to hope for a caring community.

Sincerely,

--James Blachly, College sophomore

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Volume 128, Number 23, May 5 2000

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