}

page S over the Edge Feb. 07, 1996

® EDITOR

Letters Policy: Over the Edge has an open letter policy and will undertake to print every letter received from the University and
local community. Letters must be typewritten, and should include your name, student number and phone number (for verifica-
tion purposes only). Letters should be no more the 200 to 400 words. Editors reserve the right to edit ruthlessly for length and
libelous content. Cnly one submission per person per issue. Letters will not be edited for spelling or grammar.

Stop the
Madness!

Dear Editor:

I’m writing this letter in the
hopes of addressing a pressing
issue around our campus, and
for that matter, throughout the
world. This issue I speak of is
the ever-growing hate bashing
of us underserving men. Now I
realize, that in a world where
2verybody is just trying to gain
a piece of the pie, women are
just excerising their right and
frustration with past
experiences. OK, presently
there still is some work to do,
granted. But what concerns
me is that in certain Women’s
Studies courses there seems to
be a lot of man-hating going
on. I have a couple of lady
friends who I have spoken to
about their classes, curious
about the content, who have
told me that it is very hostile.
I’ve even been told that there is
a certain amount of
intimidation going on. Let me
clarify this. A lady friend has
informed me that in one of her

. Classes when discussing issues,

she has felt downright afraid to
speak out, for fear of being
verbally beaten by certain
outspoken females.

Now what the hell is going on
here? Have you women losts
all sense of rationality and
compassion? When you start
to instill fear into the hearts of
other women, then it seems to
me you’re no better than the
KKK or the Black Panthers.
Fight fire with fire difinately,
but leave the hate mongering
to the racists. I am a man who
empathizes with your plight,
but don’t lose the fact that you
are women, we are men, and
together we will run the world.

As a Nineties man, I would

.

like nothing better than to see
all you beautiful, intelligent
women run the world. Go
ahead, knock yourselvers out.
Iam sure it’s not all that it’s
cracked up to be... am
perfectly comfortable with
women pursuing their God-
given right to assume any role
they feel fit to pursue. And I
also stand by you as you
attempt to change the
representation of women
today. That to me sounds like
common sense. You haven’t
deserved the treatment you
have received, but have you
spoken to any men in the past
while? have you given them a
chance to prove you wrong? I
degress, that there are some
men who enjoy being
chauvinist pigs and probably
haven’t the slightest idea of
how to treat a woman, those
men will die lonely and bitter.
So be it. I have no compassion
for them. But that’s not really
what concerns me. What I’m
worried about is that in these
Women’s Studies classes,
young men of today are being
classified as old school
chauvinists who aren’t worth a
moment of your time. If they
are not being classified as such,
then excuse my ignorance, I’m
only human. I do not want to
offend any of you hard-core
Feminists, in fact, I applaude
your direction and persistence,
but why don’t we use all that
passion for a more productive
cause, Humanity. All that can
be said of this hate mongering
is that it leads to more
destruction and more hate
mongering. Do we not see the
inevitability of this vicious

_ circle, or are we all too

concerned with our blind
pursuits of justice? Is every
man to blame for the
inadequacies of some lowly,
spineless, gutter-fish
chauvinist. I don’t think so.

Have you hugged a man
today? We’re not that bad,
you know. Give a man you
know a hug and I’II bet he
giggles like the Pilsbury Dough
Boy. We can be chivalrous and
noble, affectionate and
sentimental, even witty and
intelligent. You just have to let
us. Let that chip fall off your
shoulder and relax. Together
we have created this world,
together we can change it.

STOP THE MADNESS!!

Matt Jackson

The Women’s
Centre Revolt

Dear Editor:

On February 2, 1996,
the NUGSS held its
Annual General Meeting.
This was delayed from
one week previous due to
the fact that quorum was
not obtained. The
meeting started around
9:30am and went until
3:10pm, with only short
breaks. There was a lot
of business to deal with,
including the changes to
the constitution. I was
primarily interested in
three things. First, how
NUGSS spent our money
last year; second, how
(whom) NUGSS was
going to spend it on this
year; and finally, the
current number of
students required to
reach quorum.

The entire meeting went
incredibly smoothly, was
very productive, and all
in all was almost an

education for me. I must,
however, voice an
extreme anger at those
individuals representing
the Women’s Centre that
decided that their issues
were so much more
important than the rest of
this institutions’ issues,
that the topic of funding
for the Centre be moved
ahead. An impromptu
vote was held, after I
expressed in outrage the
fact that the majority of
the Women’s Centre
advocates would leave
immediately after their
issue was dealt with, not
caring about issues that
affect the rest of the
school. In essence, I
dared those who felt the
Women’s Centre was so
much more important
than the rest of this
School’s issues to stay
after to participate in the
issues that were bowled
over. I was not surprised,
but extremely ©
disappointed.
Immediately after the
motion to fund the
Women’s Centre was
passed, more than half of
those who demanded to
be put earlier, got up and
left, to abandon the rest
of the school. I am so
disappointed in those
individuals, I am having a
hard time expressing my
duress. In defense of
those who remained,
thank-you, not only for
support of the school, but

also for support of our
newly elected board. The
Women’s Centre has a
stigma attached to it that
is only propagated by
ignorance. The only way
to attack this ignorance is
through positive role
models, for which the
Women’s Centre is in
desperate need of.

This is just a suggestion
to Kim,(the secretary?),
of the Women’s Centre.
Thank you for your
insight to an issue that I
was partially ignorant of
at the beginning of the
AGM, but now consider
myself to understand a
little better what the
Women’s Centre must
deal with. Maybe you
should educate your own
patrons (bad word, I
know) of the Centre to
make them understand
that they only gave the
Centre its own black eye
by leaving early. If the
majority of the Centre
acted in the same manner
as you, I don’t believe the
topic of funding from
NUGSS for the Women’s
Centre would have taken
nearly as long. I sincerely
hope that the actions of a
few do not damage the
reputation of the
Women’s Centre, and
that you do not have to
“reinvent the wheel”
again this time next year.

_ Tim Dressel