Thursday, October 10, 1996
Drinking habits misrepresented
We would like to respond to Katherine Tom’s Oct. 1 Bruin
article, "Ten Commandments to Smart Drinking."
Although the article was entertaining, we think it may have
given UCLA students the wrong impression about drinking on this
campus. As Student Health Advocates (SHAs) residing in fraternity
houses, we feel that we are cognizant of the realities of campus
drinking habits.
SHAs are a group of specially trained students who care for the
health needs of our fellow students and frequently observe student
drinking patterns. True, there are some students who consume too
much alcohol and awaken the next morning feeling like they were run
over by a truck; however, this is NOT the experience for most UCLA
students.
To be accurate, 80 percent of all UCLA undergraduate students
drink four or fewer drinks when they party. Of those 70 percent,
half don’t drink at all. The reality is that most UCLA students
enjoy themselves without drinking to excess. They know "when to say
when," and drink responsibly.
Although Tom’s article gives the impression that most UCLA
students are "puking" or "passed out on the front lawn," this is
not the case.
If you are an undergraduate who chooses to drink lightly or not
drink at all, there are 15,400 just like you.
Travis Fabian
SHA Â Delta Sigma Phi
Pat Gibbons
SHA Â Phi Kappa Psi
Jaime Parady
SHA Â Sigma Pi
Christian Ramers
SHA Â Zeta Beta Tau
Middle East reality not found in media
In the past week, an event of great significance occurred in the
Middle East. For the first time in history, a Palestinian army,
armed with weapons given to it by Israel, used those same weapons
against Israeli soldiers.
Most reports attributed this violence to a archeological tunnel
in Jerusalem’s old city. The reports came in one after another,
claiming such things as, "this is a tunnel in the Old City of
Jerusalem which leads from the wailing wall … and continues under
the Dome of the Rock … the most sacred Arab religious site," to
cite Josh White’s column in the Oct. 9 Daily Bruin.
The fact is, the tunnel is over 2,000 years old, which would
place its construction a good 700 years before Islam ever existed.
Also, at no point does this tunnel run under the Dome of the Rock
(It runs alongside the west wall).
Also, all that Israel did was open a second entrance to this
tunnel. This new entrance is over 350 yards away from the nearest
mosque.
The mainstream media did both the world and itself a major
disservice when it chose to legitimize such a horrendous libel
against Israel.
Many people have claims; many people claim to see Elvis, and
there is an organization in the United States which claims that the
earth is flat. Arafat himself claims that Jesus was a Palestinian.
The media has the resources to confirm the merit of these claims.
Now, a week after the violence, the press is beginning to admit
that the tunnel in no way threatens Muslim holy sites but refuses
to take responsibility for its part in fueling the violence.
Violence against Jews throughout history has always been
preceded by allegations that the Jews were in one way or another up
to no good.
Whether the charge was deicide, usury, bloodlibel, or worldwide
conspiracy, it was always a forewarning to a lynching, an
inquisition, or a pogrom. The media proved last week that it is not
above this kind of scapegoating.
There is one incident in particular that journalists chose to
ignore last week; however, Charles Krauthhammer, in the Oct. 14
Time magazine discusses it.
There is a Jewish holy site, Joseph’s Tomb, that is located in
the middle of a Palestinian-controlled town. During the violence,
armed Palestinians attacked this tiny isolated area and killed six
Israelis. Damage was done to the sacred Jewish site and dozens of
Jewish books were burned. Apparently, Muslim holy sites that were
not in danger of any kind were seen by the press as more fit for
news than Jewish ones that were under attack.
All people, no matter what their political ideology, should
demand a minimal amount of accuracy on the part of the media. The
tunnel should have been represented by the media as a political,
not religious, grievance. And political grievances are not a
justification for violence. Political disagreements are to be
solved at the negotiating table, not on the battlefield.
Netanel Livni
Third-year
Computer science