Theater majors work hard too
Last week there was an article by Stella Chu describing the
lives of three randomly selected students who live together in the
residence halls (“Temperate
Climate,” Daily Bruin, News, Feb. 15). One of the
roommates, Francine Maigue, surely had no ill intentions when she
reflected, “I saw a balanced benefit with the two majors my
roommates had. With neuroscience I saw study opportunities and with
the theater major, fun.”
Yet on this campus of enlightened sensitivity to minorities of
every persuasion, how does the myth of theater student as the
tag-a-long kid brother to the rest of the “real”
studentry linger on?
One of Maigue’s roommates, Zoe Boxer, no doubt has her
fair share of fun, but she and all the rest of the students at the
School of Theater, Film and Television complete an inordinate
amount of schoolwork.
We read as much as English students, deconstruct as much as
communications students, and do as much art work as design
students. The program demands exacting physical agility (not far
removed from that asked of athletes, WAC majors or the members of
the ROTC), mastery of physics and assiduous critical thinking
skills. Memorizing lines is no easier than memorizing formulas. We
even take midterms and finals and write papers.
The myth of theater students as frivolous divas who get course
credit for feeling like a tree grows wearisome. Theater students
put in the longest hours of any students I know, scrambling for
rehearsal space and trying to make the most of too little time and
too few resources while juggling a full course load. Many times,
I’ve envied the math and science students, comfortably tucked
into comfy chairs in the Powell Reading Room.
Freshman year is a time for eye-opening exposure to new groups
of people and the time when first-hand experience elides prejudice.
I hope that Maigue will soon learn that all of UCLA students are in
this together, and theater majors carry more than their fair share
of the burden.
Myles Nye Second-year Theater
U.S. intervention helps both sides
Mike Schwartz writes that leaders ignore human welfare
(“U.S.
takes selfish stance in relations throughout the world,”
Daily Bruin, Viewpoint, Feb. 14). In 1961, UCLA granted me a leave
of absence to serve as the U.S. Chief of the Economic Mission to
Peru. The goal was to aid Peru’s economic development,
especially in agriculture because malnutrition was such a serious
problem. Also, as part of the program, UCLA helped establish
Peru’s first School of Business.
The Mission was one of dozens established around the world.
Hundreds of billion dollars were sent along with millions of
teachers, doctors, nurses, agriculturalists and Peace Corp
Volunteers to help the people achieve a better life. It’s
true that in helping others we often benefit ourselves. In the
liberation of Kuwait for example, we helped the Kuwaitis and also
ourselves. Is this a reason for not helping others? I think
not.
Theodore A. Andersen Professor of Finance (Emeritus) The
Anderson School at UCLA
Hypocrisy cannot be tolerated
Ben Shapiro wants to talk about “hypocrisy” which he
sees whenever “liberals” (your all-purpose demon) fail
to tolerate intolerance (“Tolerance
Makes for false gods,” Daily Bruin, Viewpoint Feb. 13).
Hypocrisy ““ not Christianity ““ is what bothers me
too.
Saint Reagan took over 10 times the parting gifts that Clinton
took. George the Father pardoned many big contributors, and even
big co-conspirators to prevent the truth coming out about his own
malfeasances. (Clinton, by the way, has always spent a lot more
time in “congregations of God” than either Reagan or
Bush).
Somehow Shapiro’s overwhelmingly “liberal American
media” didn’t emphasize any of that.
Instead, with Bush’s biggest contributors making billions
in just the first few weeks of his administration by jacking up
energy prices, the front page is indignantly obsessed with the
ambiguous ownership of a few used sofas.
“Dr.” Laura (check out her degree sometime)
doesn’t speak to her own family for years, poses for nude
photos and then lies about it in public till disproved.
She wants to pass instant moral judgment on anybody who runs a
family any way that isn’t Biblical, and then pretends not to
notice how varied Biblical families actually were.
I despised her for her facile, brittle and cruel
“diagnoses” long before I knew anything about her views
on homosexuality.
Shapiro’s righteous John Ashcroft plainly lied to Congress
about his reasons for sabotaging Ronnie White’s career and
reputation.
By the way, what Gospel is Shapiro citing to prove that
“˜Ashcroft’s Christianity dictated his views on
affirmative action’?
Tell me what Jesus would do about capital punishment, let alone
about the widening gap between rich and poor, both of which all
these self-styled Christian holy men eagerly promote.
Pointing out hypocrisy, I’m sure Shapiro will agree,
isn’t intolerance.
Where does he get his evidence that American liberals think
pedophilia is “OK too” is beyond me. I also can’t
find those front-page articles you claim were everywhere that
managed “only to praise Jesse Jackson” when he admitted
adulterous paternity.
Does truth matter to you, or is that one of those special areas
of “tolerance” right-wingers reserve for
themselves?
Please at least look at the larger picture, which is that the
great historic crimes have been committed almost entirely on the
basis of intolerance: that is, through efforts to force a unified
ethos ““ fascist, communist, Christian, Islamic, whatever
““ deemed to be self-evidently “moral,” on a
diverse population of human individuals.
Robert N. Watson Professor of English, UCLA