The Rice Thresher, Vol. 89, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, September 7, 2001 Page: 3 of 24
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THE RICE THRESHER OPINION
FRIDAY, SEPrEMBER 7, 2001
Sober since the age of one
Is feminism the poster child for negativism?
Can words be poster children? If
so, I'd vote for "feminism" as the
poster child of negative connota-
tions. Yes, I'm one of those goofy
language-obsessed types.
Even if I wasn't, I'd still
be amazed at how much
baggage the word has ac-
quired. For all the
progress we've made to-
ward a long-overdue so-
cial acceptance of female
empowerment, there is
still an unspoken but wide-
spread perception that
feminism is an anger-
driven, men-are-scum phi-
losophy popular among
whiny bourgeois liberals.
As long as such sentiments exist,
it's worthwhile to explore concretely
what a feminist actually believes. It
would be arrogant for me, as a 25-
year-old male with only so many
words at my disposal, to think of
myself as any sort of authority on
the subject, and I won't try to speak
for anyone but myself here. For what
it's worth, though, my personal take
on feminism is that it's far less ex-
treme and far less complicated than
people tend to think.
First of all, I think it's a mistake to
assume all feminists take the same
positions on various political issues.
Take, for instance, the perpetually
controversial discussion of abortion,
which is often viewed as a battle
between pro-life conservative men
and pro-choice feminists. Apart from
simplistic pro-life vs. pro^hoice di-
chotomy, we have erred in assum-
ing that all women's rights advo-
cates will necessarily come down on
one side of the argument.
The debate's rel-
evance to feminism is that
it highlights the necessity
of considering the female
perspective when making
weighty social and politi-
cal decisions. Women are,
after all, the ones who
know what pregnancy is
like. They understand the
pressures and emotions
associated with childbear-
ing infinitely better than
any man ever could, no matter how
empathic he might be. That's where
feminism comes in: Regardless of
her position on abortion, or any other
topic for that matter, every woman
deserves to play a role in both debat-
ing and resolving the issue.
A somewhat broader, more com-
mon misconception about feminists
is that they equate female empower-
ment with male disenfranchisement.
I'm constantly surprised that many
people think the goal of feminism is
to find misogyny where it doesn't
exist, to take jobs from their male
counterparts, and to generally make
men feel guilty for being men. I don't
know for certain why this stereo-
type has been so persistent, but one
possible reason is that people, male
and female alike, who have already
accepted that men and women de-
reducing this issue to a frustratingly serve equal rights don't understand
Wi.y the women's rights movement
is still around. Perhaps they feci that
they are being forcefed a message
they no longer need to hear.
The reality, however, is that we
do still need a women's rights move-
ment. It isn't as if our country has
already given women the power and
liberation they deserve, only to be
answered with even more demands
from the feminists.
One need look no farther than
the professional world to see that
sexism is alive and well: Women are
routinely paid less than men, we're
nowhere near eradicating sexual
discrimination in hiring practices,
and a large number of men in posi-
tions of authority are still accus-
tomed to making a female
employee's advancement contingent
upon sexual favors. If feminists
haven't stopped making noise about
this, it's not because they think they
haven't reached anyone; it's because
they know they haven't reached
enough people yet.
So what, exactly, is a feminist?
Here's what I think: If you actively
support the idea that women de-
serve the same respect, credit, op-
portunities, happiness and love as
men do, then you are a feminist.
This is true regardless of your sex,
race or economic status. It doesn't
mean-you're a radical. It means
you're helping to nudge Americans
a little closer to true equality.
Raj Wahi (Wiess '99) is a graduate
student in chemistry.
Screaming from a soapbox
U.N. conference fails to strike definite path
Just yesterday, the United Na-
tions Conference Against Racism
concluded .with a major commitment
to combat racism in real and feasible
ways created by all mem-
ber states.
Except, that's not re-
ally true. That's what I
would have said had the
U.N. conference lived up
to its potential. Instead,
the United Nations Con-
ference on Racism, Racial
Discrimination, Xenopho-
bia, and Related Intoler-
ance (say that three times
fast) ended in tatters.
Some said it was des-
tined to be a disaster even
before the meeting began. Others
point to the simultaneous walkout of
the United States and Israel this past
Monday as the beginning of the end.
In truth, a myriad of issues clouded
this high-minded summit.
Perhaps the source of the
conference's failure was the attempt
to tackle such a grandiose theme as
racism. Racism is so complicated
and varied that the United Nations
was overly ambitious in believing
one meeting could address all of
them. Success is impossible without
strong leadership guiding the forum
to specific and tangible results.
It is an insult to the victims of
racism that the' conference was con-
ducted in such a way as to ignore the
larger issues of racism that are ap-
propriate to such a forum, such as
the caste system in India, European
treatment of gypsies, and the state
of immigrants and refugees.
Instead of tackling these issues,
the conference was distracted by a
many fringe issues and a few unsolv-
able major ones; namely, anti-Israeli
sentiment surfacing in the final docu-
ment and apologies for slavery that
could open the door for reparations.
Without a formal agenda setting
appropriate priorities, the tackling
of pandemic issues like racism will
never prove fruitful. Meanwhile, civil
rights and the reputation of the
United Nations will suffer.
However, the United Nations ad-
ministrative leadership wasn't the
only group at fault for the debacle.
The United States (among other
Catherine
Adcock
sonable
states) certainly didn't contribute
positively. Prior to the meetings, the
United States announced Secretary
of State Colin Powell wouldn't at-
tend after diplomats failed
to reach a compromise
with Arab states regard-
ing the inclusion of anti-
Israeli language in the
preparatory meetings.
The U.S. eventually went
so far as to send only a
mid-level delegation to
the forum.
Supporters of this
move appreciated it as an
appropriate attempt to
force Arab states into
compromise on unrea-
anguage condemning Is-
rael, as they should have. At the
same time, however, the U.S. del-
egation was rendered completely
powerless to participate in critical
discussions regarding other issues.
A mid-level delegation has only a
fraction of the negotiating power of
senior diplomatic officials; they
aren't capable of making on-the-spot
decisions. Additionally, the U.S. del-
egation was instructed to only par-
ticipate in talks related to the miti-
gating of anti-Israeli text to be in-
cluded in the conference's final docu-
ment.
The Bush administration should
have sent a higher-level delegation
to the conference with negotiating
power. Further, this delegation
should have been instructed by Sec-
retary Powell to participate fully in
the conference rather than refusing
to contribute until the issue regard-
ing the Middle East conflict was
resolved. In this way, the United
States could have demanded that
the anti-Israeli language be removed
while still lending American leader-
ship to other important debates.
All was not lost at the racism
meeting. Broad themed forums such
as this successfully raise the profile
of specific issues and member states'
willingness to confront them. This
gives momentum to those working
on behalf of racism victims. This
conference has certainly further
galvanized civil rights movements
around the world.
The United Nations' primary role
is to preserve our collective secu-
rity. Its importance to stability and
peace cannot be overemphasized.
At the same time, it enjoys a broad
mandate that places it in a unique
position as a clearing house for pan-
national problems such as racism,
poverty and other injustices.
If the United Nations is to fulfill
its charter as written over five de-
cades ago, it will need the strong
leadership of its own administration
and the diligence of member na-
tions, particularly the United States
and European members. The United
Nations must maintain a clear vision
when launching such high-minded
projects as this racism conference
and place a premium on feasibility
and effectiveness. Otherwise, it
could easily worsen global relations
and endanger civil rights rather than
protecting them.
Catherine Adcock is opinion editor
and a Martel College junior.
The Rice Naturalist
How to get turned on by
our warm masses of air
I once heard History Professor
John Boles relate that when cam-
pus architect Ralph Adams Cram
first visited the future Rice Insti-
tute site he praised the
location's beautiful
Mediterranean weather.
So inspired was he by
the weather during his
very short trip to Hous-
ton that he considered
using the blend of Medi-
terranean styles that has
now become Rice's sig-
nature architectural
look.
In reality, this story
is about a deluded ar-
chitect who happened to
experience the Houston
climate during an extraordinary
day in November. Had he visited
after a flood, in the glaringly hot
summer, or during the mosquito-
driven yellow fever epidemic of
1907, he might have forgone the
Mediterranean look and designed
the Sallyport to resemble the
gates of purgatory.
The most distinctive part of
Houston, weather-wise, is that
during most of the year, it lies
between a dry, high-pressure air
mass situated over the continent
and a moist, low-pressure air mass
from the Gulf of Mexico. In the
winter, the continental air mass is
typically very cold; in the sum-
mer, it becomes very hot and dry
as the air absorbs radiant energy
from the land and sun. The air
mass arising from the Gulf of
Mexico, however, is almost al-
ways warm and humid. The water
from the sea easily evaporates
and saturates the air above it.
The breezy movements of the
continental and coastal air masses
result in a Houston climate con-
stant: humidity. During the sum-
mer, winds occasionally blow
from the southwest and bring hot,
dry Chihuahuan desert air. Un-
fortunately, by the time that air
reaches Houston, it has already
accumulated a substantial amount
of Gulf moisture and additional
heat. These humid breezes bring
with them two things: 1) big hair,
and 2) a weather pattern you can
almost rely on.
The result of this humidity is
that in the spring through early
fall, evenings are consistently
balmy and often outright sticky.
The high atmospheric moisture
prevents evening temperatures
Joyce Lynn
Almaguer-
Reisdorf
from dropping below the
dewpoint, which is often in the
low 70s. In the mornings, the hu-
midity will sometimes form a hazy
cloud cover that dissi-
pates as the sun's rays
intensify throughout
the morning.
Additionally, we
can expect rain as our
climate's dry continen-
tal air often meets hu-
mid gulf breezes.
Thunderstorms
and other forms of pre-
cipitation are common
not just in the summer,
but also in the winter
when cold arctic air
masses collide with
the warm coastal air.
In fact, Houston receives
about 46 inches of rain per year,
about as much as Seattle receives.
The difference lies in the fact that
in Seattle it rains nearly every
day, while in Houston we experi-
ence afternoon thundershowers
and the occasional catastrophic
deluge. Fortunately, these local
rains often cool our city down for
a few hours, and thankfully tem-
peratures only reach 100 degrees
a couple of weeks a year.
Lying on the border between
two air masses also means that
Houston has highly variable
weather. Never leave your coat,
shorts, duck boots or flip-flops
with your parents at home. In
January 2001, for example, the
lowest recorded temperature was
26 degrees; the highest measured
76 degrees. February was nearly
as variable.
And it's not just winter that is
surprising in Houston: Club 13
runners should note that while
Halloween night temperatures
typically fall in the mid-seventies,
in 1993 the temperature dropped
to 29 degrees.
While Houston's climate by
most standards isn't moderate,
it's tolerable enough, and at its
extremes, often interesting.
Meanwhile, put away those nice
new school clothes you bought
this summer and pull out your
shorts and flip-flops. We still have
weeks and weeks of summer
weather left.
Joyce Lynn Almaguer-Reisdorf
(Hanszen '99) is a graduate stu-
dent in ecology and evolutionary
biology.
L.
the Rice Thresher
I>eslie Liu, Robert Reichle
Editors in Chief
NEWS
Olivia Allison, Editor
Rachel Rustin, Editor
Mark Berenson, Asst. Editor
Liora Danan, Asst. Editor
OPINION
Catherine Adcock. Editor
SPORTS
Chris Larson. Editor
Jason Gershman, Ass/. Editor
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Dalton Tomlin, Editor
Angelo Zanola. Asst. Editor
LIFESTYLES
Corey E. Devine, Editor
CALENDAR
Carly Kocurek, Editor
BACKPAGE
Joe Garland. Editor
Scott Selinger, Editor
PHOTOGRAPHY
Renata Escovar, Editor
Katie Streit. Editor
Rob Gaddi, Interim Asst Editor
COPY
Sarah Ainsworth, Editor
Melissa Bailey, Aw/. Editor
David Chien, Illustrator
Adarn Lazowska, Online Editor
BUSINESS
Shannon Scott, Business Manager
Robert l/»e, Ads Manager
lindsay Roemmich, Asst Business Manager
Polly D'Avignon, Classified Ads Manager
Suzy Cox. Office Manager
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Liu, Leslie & Reichle, Robert. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 89, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, September 7, 2001, newspaper, September 7, 2001; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443165/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.