November 2009

Bloomington-Normal’s free independent newspaper

Tesia Schiltz Indy Staff Writer

Sitting on top of Watterson Towers, I took a moment to recall all that has happened to me in the past couple of months. There are so many things ISU forgot to put into their college brochure.

Since I’ve gotten here, my life has been turned upside down and ripped apart. I’ve begun to understand how hard it is to go somewhere completely new and absent of everything you have ever known. I’m also beginning to understand how to do it by myself and while feeling like no one else feels the same, which is true. Out of all the people who go here, no one is going to have the same experience. I know that no one has had the same experiences as me.

For example, not everyone has lived with three girls that they have never met. At one point, living in a quad was okay, but of course nothing lasts. After the first month of kind words and going to eat together I was pushed outside of their little trio. That was fine with me until one night when I woke up to hearing them talk in hushed voices. Okay, now that doesn’t sound like a big deal- until I heard them refer to me. I’m not going to lie, I’m a nosy person. So I started listening and realized they were talking bad about me. I was shocked. Nothing had prompted this; I hadn’t done anything that I knew of. I

indy. pabn. org

In the Indy

indy

November 2009 Vol. 9, No. 5

Dorm Life

thought maybe it was a one-time thing until it happened two more times. After that I sat them down and told them I had heard them. There were two reactions I was expecting: admitting to it and apologizing or just being mean. Instead I was confronted about things I had done that I never knew bothered them. For example, I had set the mail on my desk because they never wanted it and one time there was a bus flyer that one of them had wanted. Even so, it was still no excuse to talk about someone. So I was pretty much told it was my fault that they were talking about me and being rude.

After that they didn’t talk to me for weeks.

After that incident, I spent the minimum amount of time in the room. Instead, I joined as many groups as I could. I became the president of my floor, joined Women’s Glee Club and Bel Canto, started regularly attending Monday swing dances, and even joined the Indy team (obviously). This kept me busy and away from them. So now I could spend all day going to classes, meetings, doing homework, and coming to the room just to sleep. I still do that, but now they talk to me. I’m not sure why, but I don’t really care too much.

Beyond the roommate problem, I’ve found lots of other things about living in the dorms that aren’t exactly pleasant. One thing is the elevators. I actually got stuck in an elevator by myself for what See Dorms on Page 3:

Dressing Sexier

Pg. 4

ISU Propaganda

Pg. 5

To Write Love... on her arms

Pg. 6

Paranormal Activity

Pg. 6

Religion on the Quad

Connie Bach Indy Staff Writer

Power in religion comes through the strength in belief and in numbers. We all have valid beliefs, morals, and inner truths, some of which are connected to the faith we follow. Be it the Wiccan “Harm none, do as ye will,” or the Christian “Do unto others as you would have done unto you” we all follow wholesome, peaceful doctrines. However, what makes us speak out or not? On any given day there are Christian groups on the Quad, demonstrating their ideas in an attempt to attract students. Based on my experience, this is the way at ISU. By making yourself seen and heard you will attract attention. However, why are other groups not doing so?

I have asked many this simple question. One response is to avoid conflict. People who do not wish to discuss their beliefs or are afraid they may be rejected as “evil” may choose not to come out and speak up. Another response I have received from a student in Southside is that it is not the way of Islam to go out and be activists. She said that if students are curious they can ask questions and learn for themselves, that it shouldn’t be forced into their minds by shouting. I reflected on certain friends of mine who are wholly committed to their religion and yet who learned their religions through small groups, mentors, and family, not from a bench in a congregation. I also heard that some would feel they are making themselves too conspicuous, or appear “a little crazy” if they went out and preached their faiths. The final aspect that I found was a little intimidation. A few people I talked to claimed that they felt slightly intimidated by those who

stand on the Quad and shout their beliefs to the passersby and wouldn’t want to cause this discomfort to others.

In interviewing a few Christians, I have found that those who do not go on the Quad to preach are similar in their ideas to those of Islam—that interest should stem from fundamental curiosity instead of the occasionally catchy phrase. Many of these feel it is a “faith, not a religion”; most of my non-Christian friends feel the same.

However, many I have met who attempt to openly convert refer to Christianity as a religion. This raises an interesting question: what is faith, and what is religion.

The definition of a religion, approximately, is a following of a doctrine or system with divine connections. Faith, however, is the unjustified, unconditional connection, trust, and the support of beliefs and principles. One is quite impersonal, meant for the masses. The other is a personal connection, strengthened by love and support of others. So maybe this is why many Christians don’t have to shout: they know their faith can reach others without shouting. Maybe, aside from fear of conflict, perceived intimidation, and not wanting to appear foolish, this is the final answer. If you have faith, then you can inform others, but they must reach that level, with any set of beliefs, through their own, fundamental commitment.

Scary Intellectualism: Bonds of Brotherhood In An American Workplace

Outlaw29 Indy Staff Writer

Halloween is a celebration of the duality within a psyche; people make their private persona public to confirm the sanctity of wearing a social mask. I write with a pen name to convey my truth and exercise the right of free speech granted by the republic of the United States. The exercise of reporting for the Indy improves my mental faculties and public persona, my friend Lawrence McBride would say that I’m like Superman in reverse. My identity as the reporter Outlaw29 augments my power as a citizen to fight injustice in my affairs, whereas Superman constructs the reporter Clark Kent to diminish his unique ability as an arbitrator of justice. Welcome to “Bizarro” land.

This essay is a whistle blowing on how a work place superior broke the law to get his psychological needs and work place ambitions met at the expense of an under educated immigrant from Vietnam.

As such, all the names are fictionalized and the business will not be identified in order to protect my employment. Though I too suffered a violation of my workplace rights under title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, my education served me to defend against further abuse, and now the rigors of my duties are compensatory to my current

wage. However, it took hell to get to this point. Feelings of remorse exist within my psyche that I could not extend my energies to fight for my comrade who aided me in the most profound lesson of perseverance life has offered me to date. The only way I can honor his service to me and alleviate my grief is to utilize my first amendment rights to tell our story of serving a man who fits the Jungian archetype of a tyrant.

Carl Jung was an amazing student and articulator of the human condition and its evolution. His theories on personality resonate with us to this day.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (M.B.T.I) uses Jungian personality descriptors, and is widely used in management, counseling, education, and can even be done on Facebook. The M.B.T.I creates an understanding for organizational leaders to know their affect upon fellow employees. Jung’s work examined the symbolic in human psychology. He was the first to describe mature masculinity in the nature of men. Jung utilized the medieval symbols of the King,

Warrior, Magician, and the Lover or Poet.

He postulated that these four temperaments compose us as we age, and ideally mature, in thought and action. Dr. Paul Dobransky, M.D. summarizes the four temperaments succinctly: Kings possess basic natures of being very wise, thoughtful, patient, a natural born nurturing teacher, a problem solver, and astute director of others. Warriors have a basic nature of being goal directed, brave, daring, but shrewd. They dive into conflict before others and quickly solve it with force and skill. Magicians are action prone but are intellectually flexible and creative, willing to make magic out of whatever is in front of him.

Lovers/poets nurture all things while being creative, poetic, and passively spontaneous.

My Jungian temperament is that of a Warrior, as such I always long to have a people to protect and a cause for which I can fight, Redbird Nation. Jason Wallace told me that Illinois State educates the largest number of veterans from Illinois compared to other state run universities

in Illinois. In my privileged interactions with servicemen, I perceive humility and dignity in their manner. My speculation is that such temperaments are cultivated from knowing perseverant teamwork under the stress of hostility. The stress of hostility was a real social dynamic to my employment since whistle blowing in the Indy on 9-6-2007. When I exercised my legal right to become a protected class of employee under Title VII of the Equal Employment Opportunity laws, shock and shame were cast upon the leadership of the business employing me. The Illinois Department of Labor made an appearance to my job to reprimand their neglect. Ultimately, the behaviors of management changed to keep accord with Illinois labor laws dictating that people get at least twenty minutes rest after five hours of labor. Having an arbitrator dictate change to my superiors made me a target for retribution. Inevitably, the social network of my workplace ostracized me. The co-workers with whom I was developing intimate relationships turned frigid and distant. Management wanted me fired and resorted to using intimidating body language and gazes when passing my workspace, but could not afford to suddenly up-heave the scheduling of my position. My job security was contingent on being the first out of six trainees to See Intelectualism on Page 7:

2 Chatterbox

November 2009 Indy

chatterbox

Indynews@hotmail.com

Schocking Hypocrisy

Peoria Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) was standing at a podium on Oct. 13, praising House passage of a $23 million federal project for the Peoria Lock and Dam in his district. The only problem with this picture? Schock is a conservative who’s always denouncing federal spending, such as the Obama stimulus package that Schock opposed.

Our local Boy Blunder wants to look like someone helping his district while he’s really supporting the far right party line.

The TIF Deception

The front-page headline in the Pantagraph (Oct. 13) declared, “City finds $4 million windfall from TIFs: Money cuts deficit, helps downtown.” Rarely has so much misinformation been contained in one headline. The “windfall” made TIFs (Tax Increment Financing) seem like some kind of magic money-making machine. The reality is exactly the opposite: the “windfall” came from finding out that Bloomington had accidentally handed out too much money to TIFs in the past. It’s like being robbed of your money and then declaring it a “windfall” when the thief drops one of your $20 bills.

In fact, TIFs are to blame in part for the financial crisis afflicting Bloomington, Chicago, and many other cities where they proliferated in recent years. TIFs take money out of the normal taxation system in specified areas and require that money from increases in tax revenues can only be spent for projects within that district. The TIF money itself is often used for corporate welfare or wasteful projects that normally would never be approved.

So it’s not the case that TIFs created a “windfall” for Bloomington to help ease its deficit. Instead, TIFs helped to cause the deficit, and this latest news is cheerful only because it means the TIF’s drain on city funds is smaller than expected.

Sadly, the Pantagraph’s cheerleading for an economically disastrous policy is all too typical of the media. City managers love to have TIFs because it gives them more power to spend money without the public scrutiny that normally applies to city budgets.

During a time of economic growth, TIFs are simply a bad idea prone to waste and corruption. But during this current recession, TIFs are a disaster for public investment. Let’s hope that this “windfall” convinces everyone to stop the epidemic of TIFs which are draining money from the public coffers. And rather than rushing to spend $1.9 million in a wasteful way before the deadline, the city of Bloomington should return the money to the schools and other taxing districts that desperately need the revenue.

Don’t Ask Mark Kirk

Republican senate candidate Mark Kirk told the Champaign News-Gazette about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: “I think it’s worked out well. Keeping that all out of the workplace makes common sense.” That all? Don’t ask, don’t tell isn’t keeping sexuality out of the military workplace; it’s bringing it into the workplace by investigating soldiers for their sexual orientation. Kirk’s willingness to appease the far right of his party in order to win the nomination shows that he’s just a slimy politician at heart.

Going to Hell for a handbag

I thought it to be amazing that there were free airbrushed t-shirts and totes offered at the RSO carnival on Wednesday, October 14. I waited patiently in the line for two hours on a tote. When my tote was handed to me I looked down at it I could barely read my own name. The quality was poor. It was clearly done by an amateur. I felt like I could have done ten times better. I’ve signed my name about a million times. Being that my name is only four letters long I found it incredibly rude to have the representation of who I am so carelessly disrespected. When I asked for an improvement in the shoddy workmanship I was told by both a UPB and a company representative that nothing could be done and I should be happy I got a free tote.

It truly does not matter that the service was free. Whenever something is done in the name of a business or company it should be done with indisputable honesty and integrity. A free product or service could very well be a business’ only way of proving their accountability and skill to potential customers. I have not been convinced that this company could provide me with quality products or customer service and the customer, or in this case potential customer, is always right. I will never employ the company represented at the RSO Carnival and neither should you.

Write a Letter to the Indy

Email: indynews@hotmail.com Executive Editors: Amanda Clayton & Lisa Shelton Layout: Casey Reynolds Indy Staff: Yuri Gonzales, Jon Kindseth, John Wilson, Connie Bach, Teresa Washington, Blair Wittig, Jenna Brandon, Phill Earhart, Ryan Mostardo, Olga Vladimirova, Tesia Schiltz, Kay Hudson, Jake Nabasny, Emily Ruda

indy

Bloomington-Normal’s free independent paper

The Indy is a Registered Student Organization at Illinois State University, Campus Box 2700, Normal, IL, 61790-2700.

Microfinance

ual lending as we know it. The way group lending ultimately works is that loans are given to individuals within a social group, where the others are also in need of credit.

Jon Kindseth & Tim Crawford The first loan has to be partially paid off, Indy Staff Writers before a second loan would be administered to an individual of that group. The

Microfinance can be a very in- peer pressure to be timely and current on timidating word. Back up for a minute and loan repayment ultimately is a primary reathink microloan, micro meaning “small” son against default. This form of lending thus “small loan”. Microfinance by exten- proved to be very successful and it soon sion is the banks and institutions which expanded beyond Asia, adapting and takadminister these services, much like the ing on new variations as necessary or aptraditional banking sector. Microloans are propriate. Within a few years, microlendtypically somewhere between US$50 and ing and microfinance had become a global US$1000, though it can vary drastically phenomenon. with the national context, considering fac- With its success and rapid expantors like Gross Domestic Product and cur- sion, the private sector has begun to show rency exchange rate. When the average interest in microfinance, perhaps not for daily - or even weekly - income is two dol- the noble reason of alleviating poverty but lars, two hundred dollars can be enough to rather for private interests and profits. Miexpand or even start a profitable business. crofinance initially welcomed privatization The major departure from traditional bank- as it certainly gives micro lenders access ing stems from the fact that most loan ap- to far more credit. Critics also argue that plicants in developing or third world coun- microfinance can be a form of outsourctries are so poor they are property-less. In ing debt. American consumers obviously other words, they have no collateral for have a problem with their own mortgages, which to mortgage against - no land, no consumer debts, and predatory lending. house, and no vehicles. It is not as it is in Critics point to those cases where loan remost American cities - where one can sim- cipients borrow money from other places ply go to a place like TitleMax and borrow just to repay the loan. Soon they can have against an owned asset - as most people in two loans to pay off the first one and so the these areas own nothing. In many coun- cycle of debt - “living outside your means tries, particularly in third world countries, – begins. Many microfinance organizations there is very little or no access to business not only provide loans to poor entreprecredit, much less general consumer credit. neurs, they also provide business and voThere is no such thing as credit cards or cational training. The microfinance orgapayday loans. Many of the people in these nizations which provide these educational countries work in the informal sector or components teach loan recipients how to “under the table,” making proof of income expand or even start a business, helping impossible. recipients with everything from business

To deal with the lack of property models to marketing skills, or even Engor collateral by loan applicants when mi- lish. The proverb - of teaching a man how crofinance originated, it was primarily con- to fish rather than simply giving him a fish ducted through group lending - not individSee Microfinance on Page 8: -

Join the Indy.

We meet every Wednesday, 6pm-7pm, at the Coffeehouse in downtown Normal.

Independent Thinkers

Volunteer to help with the Indy: We need writers, editors, photographers, artists, and more.

email:

indynews@hotmail.com

Indy News

Republican Rhetoric

November 2009 Indy

3

Dorms from page 1:

Thom Zimmermann Indy Staff Writer

walked into the street in front of a car and screamed at the car when it had to slow down and swerve to avoid them.

I was once told by a professor that This small and seemingly unrelatthe state of public debate in this nation is ed exchange of ideas in the street made me deplorable. I took it at face value. We hear realize exactly what public debate is like: it arguments that Obama’s new healthcare is like drunken fools trying to make broad system will incite death-panels deciding claims with no real information, evidence who lives and who dies, we hear that he or proof to back up what they’re trying to is instating a socialist government and if say and contradicting themselves at every you look into the ramblings of right wing turn. This failure to solidify ideas comes conservatives you also hear that he is going from both the left and the right and is greatto personally come to your home and take ly hurting the arguments being made. your guns away.

I believe that everybody, regardless of their

But none of these things have any bipartisan beliefs, should be heard out. In factual basis. And none of these people politics we’re seeing the drunkards walk in who say these things are willing to back front of cars and get mad at the driver of up their statements the car. When Rein any way, they just publican senator Joe shout. But it happens Wilson yelled “you on the other side of lie!” during Obama’s the argument, as Health Care Speech, well. On the liberal Wilson became the side of the panel we senatorial equivahear people dismisslent of a drunk coling any anti-Obama lege student walking rhetoric as “racist,” in front of a car. We simply because he also see these same is our first “black” kinds of slanderpresident. I say that ous and unfounded in quotes because claims being made Obama is in fact of Obama’s birth half black, but we certificate and his never hear anything supposed association about him being half with Hugo Chaves, white. all of them sounding

I cannot like a drunk datesit here and tell you rapist besmearing that I think that evthe sanctity of his erything that Obama has done has been the latest victim. best thing that ever happened, and I cannot The first amendment guarantees even tell you that he’s done anything bad. us the right to express our ideals and beI cannot tell you these things because he liefs, but I believe American would be a frankly hasn’t done anything. It is true that much better place if everybody would stop he was left with an awfully large mess to and think about what they say before they clean up and he promised change, but we say it. We would have far less accusations have to realize that change takes time and of communist liberal agendas and much it takes compromises on both ends of the more compromising on health care reform spectrum, something that the conservative that would move towards helping the comside of politics is refusing to allow. mon people.

I was outside my apartment So, take this advice: before you smoking when I heard a group of college saying anything about anything, think aged kids walk by talking about how they about what you’re about to say. Consider have nothing against gays, and it’s cool if the ramifications, the rhetoric, what it imthey hook up every night, but they don’t plies and how it reflects on you and your like seeing it because it is gross. They then peers.

felt like forever. Thankfully, it started running again by itself after awhile, but I can’t imagine getting stuck in there when it’s full. I mean, the elevators are awkward enough for the time it takes to get to your floor, let alone being stuck in there with all those people. I can almost understand how people are claustrophobic and would rather favor open space.

After riding down a terrifying elevator, most people go to get food. There are times where I am so hungry I feel like I could eat anything. Then I walk into Watterson Commons and I forget that. It’s not really that the food is that bad, it’s just not that great either. I am someone who has had a regular meal schedule everyday for my entire life, then I came here and that changed. I eat maybe twice a day and I know I’m not the only one. Some of my friends will eat once a day because they can’t stand the food. Others will trek all the way from Watterson to Tri Towers just because they have a better food selection.

I’m lazy and I don’t have time for that so I eat here or I don’t eat. At other times I walk into the lobby and all I smell is Subway. I think Subway has become one of the few constants in my life. I have only seen it closed a handful of times, other than that it is always open. I used to hate it when I came here, but many of my flex dollars have gone to the much better tasting alternative to the Watterson Commons.

Being here at ISU gives me a

Sony to Customers: We Don’t Care Thom Zimmermann Indy Staff Writer

I’ll be the first, and usually the only one in a room that claims that they dislike Sony products. It hasn’t been exactly clear in the past, even to me why I have this opinion. I’ve owned every console made by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, except for the current PS3 and PSP. When I try to think of why I never bought these systems, I think it comes down to the games on the console. I never bothered with buying a PSP because every PSP game that interested me was released on the PS2 months after PSP release, and I never bought a PS3 because of a lack of exclusive titles worth caring for.

This month Sony finally made me realize, truly, why I dislike their products and business model, the PSPGo. The new PSP lacks a UMD drive meaning prior PSP games that were purchased as a hardcopy will not be playable on the PSPGo. Sony recently released a statement claiming that

they are not providing backwards compatibility tools or a means for owners of PSP games on UMD to port them to their new PSPGo. The way the PSPGo works is by using the Playstation Store online to purchase and download games directly through Sony to the new PSPGo, this effectively

cuts the middle man and increases Sony’s profit while at the same time nixing the used game market. Not stopping at making current PSP games obsolete, Sony went so far as to make the current standard of memory cards obsolete for the new iteration of the PSP. Sony changed the new PSP over from the Memory Stick Pro Duo to the new Memory Stick Micro. The change in card size doesn’t free up much real estate on the

system back from the old card, but it does mean that PSPGo buyers must purchase a new Sony designed memory card.

The PlayStation 3 was another console that exemplified Sony’s business model, the Blu-ray drive. Sony seemed to use the PS3 as a means to end the HD format wars. The PS3 was being purchased not only as a game console but as a Blu-ray player. It was the lowest priced HD player available. When the PS3 was released, I worked at a prominent electronic store and was asked constantly about the PS3 as a Blu-ray Player rather than a game console.

This also took place when the PS2 was released in 2000 to rival the Dreamcast.

The PS2’s built in DVD player effectively buried the Dreamcast. With the PS3, Sony buried HD-DVD and floated their system on a paltry offering of exclusive games that suffered from botched controls, so-so graphics and terrible storylines. It wasn’t until later that Sony decided to screw their PS3 customer base over, when they removed backward compatibility from their consoles. With the opening of the PSN store they started offering select titles for a fee to download, instead of allowing prior Playstation 1 and 2 owners the ability to play their old games. Sony went further by rendering the Six-Axis controller obsolete when they replaced it with the Dual-Shock

pretty close feeling to what Dorothy might have felt when she found herself in Oz, I’m definitely not in Kansas anymore. This sentiment was overwhelmingly enforced when I saw the absurdity of someone actually purchasing a condom from the machine in the vending room of Watterson. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s not the kind of thing that’s just out in the open. Since I’ve gotten here I’ve begun to find that almost nothing is the same. The only similarity is that Normal has a Monical’s Pizza, though I don’t think they eat their pizza with French dressing too.

There are a lot of things about college that are never in the brochures or videos. It’s hard being here, harder than many, including myself, ever imagined.

It’s worth it though. Every time I’m sad or miss home, I meet someone new who feels the same way. Every time I have problems with my roommates, I meet someone who’s had similar problems. Every time I’m just bored, I find something I really like. College is the chance not to “reinvent” or “find” yourself as some people say, but to BE yourself. I know a few people who complain about being in their room all the time and not hanging out with anyone. The only person they can blame is themselves.

College is about leaving the bubble, box, comfort zone, whatever you call it. Just get up and get out there. Sure, lots of things suck, but there’s so much that doesn’t. So get out there and find it, you slackers!

3. Sony representatives had spent more than a few hours talking about how vibrating controllers were a thing of the past and that motion-sensing was the way of the future (about three months after Nintendo showed off their motion controller). By releasing the Dual-Shock 3, Sony slapped early PS3 customers in the face by telling them the controllers they had were old news and that they need to buy new ones.

It isn’t with any credible experience with consistent product failures that I scorn Sony’s systems, but with knowledge of how they treat their customers. I personally think that Sony builds great systems that will run forever as long you don’t abuse them. I can’t abide by how they release further iterations of old hardware that renders their customer’s current media and peripherals obsolete.

I am on my third Microsoft Xbox 360 due to malfunctions, but I would much rather go through the hassle of Microsoft’s warranty replacement than get slapped in the face by Sony every six months, being told that my system was obsolete. Last issue I wrote about Nintendo using the Wii and DS as a means to enlist the casual gaming crowd and how they ignored us, the real gamers. It seems to me that Sony is doing a much worse thing: they are acknowledging their loyal customers, but they are constantly finding ways to get more money from us in very questionable ways.

4 Campus News

November 2009 Indy

Girl Costumes The Hyperinflated Need to be Sexy Comes With a Cost Teresa Washington Indy Staff Writer

Halloween has become one of the most anticipated holidays throughout American society. From the eccentric forms of art made from pumpkins, kids trick or treating, and haunted houses. Halloween has become a booming industry right before the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays. The most exciting and perhaps the main idea of the Halloween spirit is the fascination with being someone that you are not. However, the chance to get out of your comfort zone has decreased in recent years. In today’s society we see more and more people losing creativity and thus subject to societal norms of Halloween.

When our parents were growing up, many dressed like actual characters, of whom we thought were scary. They were creative in their costumes and in ways of bringing terror to each other. Nowadays, we find that Halloween shops are filled with the provocative images of those characters. Walking into the Halloween shop, the first thing that people are bombarded with is the skimpy house maid uniform, police officer, and a Wonder Woman cos-

The L.A. Gang Rape and the Sexualization of Society.

Kay Hudson Indy Staff Writer

The sexualization of society has created a generation of young men and women who rationalize violence. It doesn’t take a genius to follow those kinds of attitudes to their natural conclusions. Once things become the norm, humans have a tendency to stop questioning them and to begin accepting them. They will even defend them, no matter how sick those things are or what believing/doing those things might imply. Hey, it’s ok, it’s “normal”.

Let’s start with this issue which isn’t normal but which some of you might ardently defend. Thankfully, some of you will not. In this article I am talking about the view that people are objects of pleasure, something deserving or warranting treatment one would not give to an equal human being. This has many implications, but again, for the sake of brevity, this means desensitization of men and women to each other. Women are the prime victim of such attitudes. In other words, the more objectified or dehumanized a person becomes in the eyes of another, the less likely crimes against that person will be viewed as wrong. Popular examples in history include the testimonies at Nuremburg after World War II and the prison of war camps at Hanoi during Vietnam. Participants in these tragic events and torture of humans were justified on the grounds that everyone was doing it, they were ordered to do it, or that the victims involved weren’t human.

Fast forward to today’s tragedy; a 15-year old girl was gang raped in a dark alley outside of a high school homecoming dance. Many stood by and watched the crime and did nothing. No one called the police or intervened on the girl’s behalf. In fact it is suspected that some came to watch and joined in. Leading up to the incident the young girl supposedly went willingly to the area with a few guys she apparently knew and some drinking was involved.

The crimes began soon after. The girl was beaten and multiple acts were performed on the girl by multiple boys while others simply watched. She was left under some

tume. Is it a crime if I want to dress up like Jason or Michael Myers? Some of the characters they have for women are so typical and ordinary. What ever happened to the excitement and originality?

Society has been driven away from the unique customs partially because of the sex driven society that we live in today. With the constant images of being beautiful and sexy is everywhere, this season is no exception. Nevertheless it has become one of the praised holidays that people can actually celebrate without any question of their character. However, the ironic thing about the situation is the fact that the majority of the time this rule of thumb only pertains to girls.

In the popular movie, Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan said it best, “In the real world, Halloween is when children dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In girl world, Halloween is the one night in the year, when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” This one quote pretty much sums up the minds of young girls, teens, and college students every where in America.

A popularization of being sexy and hot overwhelms not only our thoughts, but our

pockets as well.

Women have the challenge of tackling the beauty of just one night by spending almost $100 on their costumes and makeup alone. This does not include the money that they have to spend on going out and getting their other amenities done, like their nails and feet. One must remember that Halloween is only for one night and that life moves on. Even though women are more likely to dress up for Halloween then men, there is a huge price difference in the amount they these two pay. Men can stay in the $30 - $40 range, whereas women costumes stay in the $70

- $100 range. Honestly, the Halloween season has become a gimmick for just making money and we’re actually participating in the ongoing cycle.

For future reference understand that the holidays are not what they used to be. They have changed with the ever-so evolving society we are constantly living in today. Halloween is no different than Thanksgiving or Christmas, so do not fall to the tricks of the seasons. Let’s be original and go back in time and relive the moments when Halloween was pure fun and not the over-reacted, money making, sexual stimulating season it is today.

bleachers. The exact details are not known about the events surrounding what went down, but that does not change the facts that we do know. This girl was beaten and raped for 2.5 hours by several men and boys while several others watched.

Many voices in the debate around the issue question the girl’s judgment. But let’s be crystal clear about something: no

ing out a girl on the scene, whether it’s a bar or party or just around campus, what are looking at or what are you looking for that is attractive? Again, I can’t poll responses with this article alone but think about that. I’ll wager most of you didn’t imagine a slightly plump young lady, or a girl in baggy clothes, or perhaps one with less than 20 eyelashes per eye ball and well

behavior on the part of the victim justifies the crimes that took place. Absolutely nothing. The men and boys who committed this crime are criminals in their own right and nothing the girl could have said or did justifies their violent, immoral, and criminal behavior against her. At the same time, this event warrants a discussion about why this girl was a victim long before the rape occurred. How many girls out there will wear some sexy costume for Halloween this year (or who did last year for that matter)? This article itself cannot not poll responses, but everyone keep your eyes out for photos you will see of parties that happen around the country on college campuses. They will speak for themselves. The question that really needs answering is why any young girl would wear such costumes. Ponder that thoroughly before jumping into passionate opinions. Ponder it over the next few days and weeks and don’t let this question leave your mind without coming to some well founded conclusions. I want to hear your thoughts on the matter.

For the guys: When you are scop-

rounded elbows.

There is a point here. Both sides bear responsibility for these cultural views which breed a violent sexualization of women. What many young women don’t seem to understand is that this sexualization brings you much closer to being viewed as an object than a human being deserving humane and tender treatment. Ask any of your male friends who watch porn if they would marry any of the women featured in those flicks. Then ask them why.

Oh, and don’t be surprised to know that your male friends watch porn or have in the past. Perhaps they will after reading this article. But some of you will be tempted to start arguments with things like “people can think for themselves” or “my opinions don’t/shouldn’t affect someone’s behavior” or “she shouldn’t care what I think” or worse, “I do xyz because I like it.” All of these simply illustrate the fact that these sorts of behaviors and attitudes have been socialized, made normal and “ok” in our society. I think most of you may not realize the dire impact these seemingly simple

things have on violence in our society: especially violence toward women.

Make no mistake, American society includes violence. The more spectacular and extreme an event is, the greater the applause ...and the lower the outcry. Until such things become normal and people are desensitized by such events. The only thing to jolt them back into action is something even more spectacular and extreme. Case in point: Guys standing around watching a girl get raped.

Consider a less traumatic but no less disturbing scenario. We’ve all been to parties and will go to even more in the future. Ever see someone doing something wrong while you or perhaps other stood around, nervously laughing or looking on in uncertainty? Ever see someone you don’t know pass out at a party and just look at them as “hey it’s normal, I don’t need to check on them”? A young man or woman slowly sliding into a bad situation? Finally, and most importantly, how often have you intervened in a bad situation because what was going on was wrong? This could be as simple as a fight that broke out, or a guy friend getting a girl drunk so he can take her home, or someone simply making threats toward someone else. How many of you feel duty bound to intervene before or during a bad situation, a sense of responsibility for your peers and their welfare?

There are a whole slew of questions we should be asking ourselves and an equally complicated heap of answers to sort and analyze. But know this: Guys you have the single greatest external impact on the behavior of girls around you. Girls you have a responsibility to check guys sensibilities by not objectifying yourselves. You are more than your eyeliner. And here’s the really sad bit that any female defending these attitudes and behavior doesn’t grasp: you’re letting a culture and society that doesn’t care enough about you to call 911 or intervene when you’re in trouble dictate your actions about who and what you are.

Say what you want, but when the men of a society look to the women to be sexy and the women look to be sexy for the men, exactly what sort of outcomes do think will emerge?

If you’re interested in sending in feedback on this article send it to: or.indy. ilstu at gmail.com.

Indy News

November 2009 Indy

L, M, N, O, Propaganda: Letters and Images of the ISU Propaganda

Jake Nabasny Indy Staff Writer

I could begin this by asking if you know who Superman is, but what’s the point? We all know who he is. He has long been a cultural symbol that represents strength, courage, and the American way.

But why is Superman everywhere I go telling me that I can be a hero also? And what does this all have to do with sexual assault?

Was Superman sexually assaulted? I’m not sure, but I have a good idea as to what’s going on.

It would seem as if I’m making a big deal out of nothing to call this campaign

by Student Counseling Services (SCS) propaganda, but if we look closely at how it is being implemented we can understand how it is similar to other propaganda models. Take Joseph Goebbels for example, he was the propaganda minister for Adolf Hitler and said there are three rules to good propaganda. The first is to monopolize the mediums that your message is being communicated through.

I am a fairly oblivious student and really only see what is put right in front of my face. So I don’t know what kind of events have been sponsored by SCS or what other methods they use, but I do see exactly what they force every Watterson resident to see (as I’m sure is true in the other dorms as well). Pictures of our childhood heroes are plastered in our Suites.

Two large color posters per Suite which

would make 8 posters per floor. If this is not enough for our living area, we also have the same information printed in every bathroom stall. When we go down to eat, the same posters greet us through the halls, and when we finally sit down to eat (as if we could relax for a second) numerous table tents litter the table with the same images.

The overabundance of symbols makes it clear that the designers of this message want it to be known. By overpopulating the mediums that the school uses to reach the students, the SCS has thus monopolized them. It also fulfills Goebbels second rule for propaganda which is to endlessly repeat the message. “If you repeat a lie often enough,” he said, “it becomes the truth.”

The final rule for effective propaganda applies to the content of the message. It must eliminate dissenting opinions. The best examples of this rule are able to manufacture consent without any dialogue or critique—the message is accepted as truth upon reception. The messages from SCS cleverly appropriate identifiable characters from students’ childhood. We can see this very tactic being used in the Disney propaganda from WWII that dressed Donald Duck up as a dimwit Nazi who hated his government.

After first recognizing the image, we are given the affirmative command to be heroes. Of course we all know the opposite of a hero is a villain and nobody wants to be that!

This kind of hero affirmation is very similar to the negative conditioning we see used in anti-drunk driving PSAs. The slogan was first “You Drink. You Drive. You Lose.” But recently they have changed the “lose” to “loser” and the commercials have now digressed into pitiful

name calling. “I wouldn’t hire that guy, he’s a loser,” you hear one of the voices say. And so we are presented with a simple choice that has been already chosen for us by our culture: to be a hero or a villain.

Since the options are really non-options,

5

there can be no dialogue. There isn’t even an issue, only the reinforcement of heroism along with moralizing against sexual assault.

From the facts stated above, it’s fair and logical to understand the SCS campaign for what it really is: propaganda.

But why propagandize about something so common sense? We all know that rape is bad and we should prevent sexual assault when able. It appears that the content is not important in this instance, but the form (the propaganda model). Beneath the moralist agenda is the assumption of a common evil to our society. From this common evil (whether it is totalitarianism, suffering, or sexual assault) we see the development of a common good. Those in places of power maintain this common evil to promote what they want to be understood as good (e.g. libertarian “freedom” manifested as “free-market” economics).

And so this SCS propaganda model becomes a tool of the ISU administration to promote an image of what it sees as the good student. Of course I don’t want to say that a good student wouldn’t prevent a sexual assault, but that it’s time that we become aware of what kind of values the propaganda we encounter in everyday life is trying to force on us. We need to think for ourselves about these issues (whether they are social, economic, or political) and the first step to thinking for ourselves is doubting the manufactured truths from obvious systems of propaganda.

RSO members began to pack up their RSO Homecoming Carnival: More of a trick than a treat and things and fold up their tables. The event Emily Ruda Indy Staff

I’ve never been much of a fan of school-sponsored events. The structured environment, the overly enthusiastic school spirit, and the forbiddance of alcohol are just a few aspects that have kept me away from said events. So, when my roommate asked me to accompany her to the Homecoming ‘Carnival’ in the Bone Student Center last Wednesday, I was naturally extremely skeptical. However, this being my senior year at Illinois State, I thought perhaps I should experience some schoolsponsored festivities before I leave.

The flyer I received boasted that there would be games, tons of free food, “fun activities” ranging from henna tattoos, airbrushing, inflatables, and caricature artists, and of course tables set up for selected RSOs (registered student organizations) on campus. Practically bursting with excitement and anxiousness to arrive at the carnival, I headed over to the Bone with my roommate.

Upon entering the Brown Ballroom, one term immediately came to mind to describe the scene before me…. “junior high school dance.” Yes, the ballroom was decked out with some serious string lighting and even a disco ball. Music was of the Top 40 variety-Boys Like Girls, Miley Cyrus, Black Eyed Peas, etc. The scene was completed by the overwhelming number of freshmen holding drinks in plastic cups, loitering awkwardly by tables decked out in red and white décor. The Homecoming court wandered around, and even the famous Reggie the Redbird mascot made an appearance later that night. The comparisons I could make between the carnival and a junior high dance are simply endless.

I could see why everyone but the freshmen had probably decided that getting drunk at The Pub II was a better option than hanging around an indoor carnival for the night.

My initial assumption was that most people came for the free food. The line for food multiplied by the minute, despite our prompt arrival at 8 p.m. By the time my roommate and I got our plates of food, the line snaked out of the door and

into the student center. After wandering away from the table, we searched for a place to sit and eat. Our search lasted all of 3 seconds, as there were literally about 6 small round tables set up in the middle

of the ballroom with room for about 5 people to sit at each (which were all full, of course). I’m not too sure what the staff of this event had in mind when they planned the seating arrangements, but a quick estimation of how many people were in attendance versus number of available seats left me extremely confused.

Reluctantly, my roommate and I sat awkwardly on the floor amongst others that had nowhere to sit and enjoyed our food-soft pretzels with cheese dip, the kind of fried dough with powdered sugar you get at real carnivals, and some tasty lemonade. It’s a little disheartening when the highlight of your evening is the free food.

After we were done, we decided to stroll around the perimeter of the event in order to take in all the excitement. There was a large blow-up obstacle course of some sort which only a few dared to try, a professional balloon animal maker, and the majority of the floor was littered with tables set up by all different student organizations offering games to play such as makeshift Bozo buckets, a duck pond, and a game where the goal is to knock down a stack of plastic cups with a ball. Now, I’m not

trying to bash anyone, and I know RSOs don’t exactly have overflowing budgets, but I expected a little more than games I enjoyed when I was 5 years old. Nevertheless, I’m aware that they simply made use of what they had, so I can’t have many complaints about it.

Surprisingly, I did find some ‘cool’ things at the carnival, namely the station set up for spray-painting custom designs on tshirts and tote bags, free henna tattoos by a reputable tattoo artist, and a caricature table. Neither I nor my roommate had ever had a caricature drawn of us, so we thought it would be fun to check out. The plan was to get our drawing, make our way to the spray-painting station, and then mingle around the event to try and score some free stuff…and more free food.

Little did we know that we would literally spend the rest of the night in line.

The wait time for our caricature totaled TWO HOURS AND FIFTEEN MINUTES. That’s not an exaggeration, I kept close track of the time on my phone while we waited. Seeing as the carnival was only scheduled to run until 11 p.m., we weren’t able to see or do anything else but make conversation and watch everyone else enjoy themselves as we waited in line the entire length of the event.

By 9:30, the number of people at the event began to dwindle. The majority of people who stuck around were either waiting in impossibly long lines, or still manning the student organization tables.

There was a deafening announcement by an overly-cheery staff member that small and medium t-shirts were no longer available to be spray-painted because there were “Too many people having too much fun!”

Right. Half an hour later, I watched pitifully as the food table was cleared away,

seemed to be already wrapping up, even though supposedly there was still an hour left.

The caricature artist, seeing that the line before him had gotten incredibly long, decided to hand us all slips of paper with numbers on them. After he handed my roommate a number, he turned to the rest of the people waiting patiently in line and told them to fuck off……well, not literally, but in an agitated tone he announced “That’s it, after them I’m done, you can all leave don’t bother waiting around for another hour.” I could see disappointment on each and every one of their faces. I knew for a fact that the girls standing directly behind us had been waiting in line just as long as we had, only to be turned away at the last second without anything to show for it. That was done in very bad taste, in my opinion. If you’re going to offer a service to people and have them wait patiently for hours, at least give them the decency of having something to show for it instead of telling them that they’re basically shit out of luck.

Minutes later an official staff member came and stood behind me, warding off anyone else who dared enter the caricature line. By then the novelty of having our picture drawn had worn off, and only pure determination kept us waiting in that line. We were going to get something free for taking the time to come to the event, even at the cost of pain in our feet from standing for 2 hours.

After about the tenth time hearing Miley Cyrus’s “Party in The U.S.A.” played like a broken record, it was finally our turn to get our picture drawn. We were the absolute last in line. The process only lasted a few minutes, and the caricature artist seemed to be in comparatively better spirits since last time he had spoken to us.

We walked away pleased with the drawing, and the confidence that we would never waste another Wednesday night at a school-sponsored anything. I wish my experience had been more positive, but it wasn’t. I went, I saw, I didn’t really conquer anything but a 2 hour and 15 minute wait in line. And I’m pretty sure I never want to do any of the above ever again.

6 Indy News

November 2009 Indy

“Tell Them to Look Up. Tell Them to Look at the Stars.”

and substance abuse. And while in college we can have some of the best times, the majority of us have some of the worst. Amidst the parties and friends, we have a great deal of stress trying to harmonize school, family, relationships and ‘back home’. For some, this is easy, and for others, Jenna Brandon balancing such things is difficult. For indiIndy Staff Writer viduals who feel they are in need or friends

19-year-old Renee is on a 36- who want them to get help there are many hour streak of no sleep, and plans to con- programs out there; one of those programs tinue for another day. In her system coke, is To Write Love On Her Arms.

Founded by Jamie Tworkowski, pot, alcohol and pills lie, littering her tiny frame. She sits on the porch of her friend the program is dedicated to changing the Jamie Tworkowski, uttering these words. lives of people who feel there is no hope, She quietly shares her story, tainted with to the relatives who feel the strain of trying sexual abuse, self injury, depression, ad- to hold on to their beloved and to the survidiction, suicide and her fears of going to vors who need encouragement and praise. rehab. Upon arriving at the center she was TWLOHA has the support of popular rejected because of their lack of detoxifi- bands like Paramore, The Almost, Bayside cation services. Renee returned to Jamie’s and Switchfoot to spread awareness and porch, searching for safety and someone represent the artistic community as benefiwilling to help cleanse her soul. Jamie ciaries of the rehab programs. On the To then decided to help his struggling friend: Write Love website, there is a store where he scheduled a rehab session 5 days in ad- they make tees, deons (if you were like me vance and in the meantime, occupied her and didn’t know what a deon was, they’re week with concerts, church revivals and long sleeve jersey tees), totes and other acgenuine love. The Sunday Renee left for cessories in which proceeds go toward the rehab, she gave Jamie her last razor and her rehabilitation programs they offer. They also have enthusiastic Twitter, Facebook promise to change.

Renee’s story has a happy ending- and Myspace pages and street teams that she’s still in rehab and slowly changing her make information and assistance acceslife. But what isn’t so happy is the amount sible to anyone. On a more personal scale, of Renee’s there still are in our country, TWLOHA holds concerts and presentaaround the world. The signs may not be as tions on college campuses, concentrating clear as a slice on her forearm, but what is their events in the fall. November 13th is so clearly evident is her need for help. In National To Write Love On Her Arms Day. the U.S, 30% of adolescents struggle with On this day, women of all ages and even depression, which coincides with anxiety men write ‘love’ on their arms in their own

individual artistic style to show support of themselves or a loved one in need. These adornments include graffiti letters, tattoos, scribbled marker and plain text over scars and skin alike. Their messages are powerful, supportive, creative and unifying to the cause.

This organization may not mean much to you. You may think you don’t know anyone who battles with depression or self injury- but perhaps you do. Symptoms that are associated with depression are change in appetite or weight, sleep pattern, muscle aches and fatigue. Other emotional symptoms are feeling worthless and empty, irritability, anxiety and thoughts of death or suicide. If these symptoms seem relevant in your life or in the life of someone you know, heed my advice- help. If this isn’t the case and perhaps you or someone you

know is going through a rough patch, keep an open eye and a listening ear for your friends. True, they may not need a rehab and a full detox, but who ever turned down the opportunity to share?

So, on the 13th, what do you have planned? Class, calling to check up on the family, maybe a celebration of thirsty Thursday? What about writing love on your arm? It’s a small gesture that can mean a lot to someone you may or may not know. Sure, you may feel a little silly (especially if you’re a guy), but to those who know what To Write Love is about, you’re just another fellow supporter. You bet I’ll have my heart on my sleeve for the cause I truly believe in. I personally feel no one should go this road alone, and any program that promotes a sense of community for the greater good, I’m so pro.

Everyones talking about “Paranormal Activity” Grade: C-

By: The Skinny Critic

Paranormal Activity tells the story of a young and happy couple who have just moved into the suburban home of their dreams. However, all is not well after the couple hears rumbling going on through the house night after night. They decide to take action by buying a camera and filming their experience to see if there is some PARANORMAL ACTIVITY going on in their home. After a visit from a PARANORMAL doctor, they discover that there is a demonic spirit that lives within the boundaries of their home and it’s not something to mess around with. As the film progresses, the characters soon see how truly evil the spirit is and the powerful effects it has on them.

For a film that had a budget of around $15,000 dollars and is currently generating millions upon millions of dollars every week, I am impressed. It’s truly unbelievable to see the fans and critical support that the film has received over the last couple of weeks. Sadly, I can’t quite agree with all the hype and positive feedback from fans and critics of the film. It seems odd that the film is being called “one of a kind” because it is a low budget film that uses scares rather than blood and gore to frighten its viewers. Newsflash people, there was a film called The Blair Witch Project that came out in 1999 that was also made on an extremely low budget and did not display any violent content (I would actually consider it to be one of the best horror films of the 90s).

The main problem with Paranormal Activity is that it never quite achieves that sense of horror that something like The Blair Witch Project did. Yes, Paranormal Activity has a few scares here and there, and for the most part, the film tends to be very

creepy, but not wholly scary. What it really comes down to is the sense of space in the movie. Paranormal Activity’s setting is a suburban home in the sunny state of California. In a way, the couple is still within the boundaries of society, where they can

socialize and use resources to help them cope through the horror they are experiencing. Unfortunately, this hurts the horror factor because the audience in a way never feels that sense of fear that the characters have in the film.

For example in The Blair Witch Project the setting is located in an isolated and dense forest outside of a rural town.

That setting is used as an advantage because the true horror/mystery is what lies ahead in the dark forest. When the students become lost in it, that’s where the audience truly feels the fear that the characters in the film are feeling. Also, Paranormal Activity showcases some pretty disappointing acting, especially from the two main protagonists. Now, both actors who play the two main roles are first time actors, so don’t expect them to be on the ranks of Daniel Day Lewis or Nicole Kidman. However, because their emotions and fear seem forced, it hurts that overall horror factor in the film.

If the actors aren’t truly acting in a fearful manner, the audience can’t feel the horror they are going through and thus finding the actor’s “emotions and fear” laughable at most.

Another problem with the film is the misuse of screen time for most of the movie. The first thirty minutes are nothing but the two protagonists flirting with each other and playing with the camera like a bunch of ten year olds. There are also some irrelevant scenes that truly don’t bring anything remotely interesting or key to the film’s storyline. Overall, Paranormal Activity is a decent attempt at the bloodless horror genre. For a film that was made on an extremely low budget, I once again give the cast and crew props. It just goes to show that even the smallest productions can have a huge impact on audiences. However, though there is “horror” inside the film, it’s hard for the audience to feel that because of the overall storyline and acting. In the end, Paranormal Activity is a lack luster horror film that may be the hot topic right now, but give it a month or two, and it will be another addition to the vast amount of forgettable horror films.

Indy News

Intelectualisms from page 1: have a capacity to complete the work load of cutting the meat for daily consumption without any assistance. The one man uncritical of my actions within my workplace was Tan-Sun Duck, a thirteen-year veteran of the prep duties that nearly broke me in two over a three-year span. Tan-Sun Duck knew that my job performance was a rarity, and understood that I was being exploited to enhance the bottom line profits for the business.

Tan-Sun Duck migrated with his family from Vietnam in 1989. His story is one of hardship, he persevered forced labor by communists. Tan-Sun told me his vivid recollections of being isolated from his family in a concentration camp. One day, to his great surprise, he crossed paths with his brother. They were shocked to see each other, and elated where they were in the camp relative to each other’s barrack. After a day of forced labor, Tan-Sun thought it would be a good idea to visit his brother in his barrack. That decision almost cost him his life; the guards of the camp caught him outside of his brothers’ barrack and promptly smashed the butt of an M-16 across the bridge of his nose. If his brother did not placate the guards and explain TanSun’s ignorance of his captivity, I would not have this story to tell. This is the level of perseverance that Tan-Sun brought to every work shift and perception of human interaction that he shared with me over the three years we worked together. This man taught me that doing more is possible, and that being less emotional when doing work cultivates character. As I decided to persevere through demanding hours and work details, Tan-Sun was my ego check to put my feelings aside and get the job done.

During my period of complaint, Tan-Sun said the most profound statement to me.

“You know why this work and these managers don’t bother me? It is because I have already worked for free.” He no longer has to endure the dehumanizing conditions of his homeland, but in his adopted home of Normal, Illinois Thick Bubble, through neglect and ambition, he has become an indentured servant.

Carl Jung’s symbols for mature masculinity consist of a spectrum of positive instinctual expressions and negative instinctual expressions for each temperament. In the case of Thick Bubble his workplace behaviors demonstrate an inclination to utilize the negative instinctual expressions of a King, known as a Tyrant in Jungian typology. In the Fall 2003 Organization Development Journal, Bruce Tallman summarizes how a Tyrant tends to operate in a workplace: “Tyrants exhibit fear and suspicion. They treat subordinates in a condescending way, and rules by fear rather than love, thus they tend to suppress, transfer, fire or otherwise get rid of all those who he perceives as a threat. A Tyrant leader is interested mainly in self-aggrandizement and so is easily slighted by petty matters, and requires adoration and worship from inferiors. Tyrants are ruthless and love to intimidate others. He ignores blatant injustices in his realm, or justifies injustice through twisted thinking. The best way to cope with a tyrant is an assertive show of strength.”

Politics are part of every job culture. My job culture has a faux rite of passage ritual that emphasizes time served and pair bonding. The zeitgeist of being a family restaurant is internalized in the business leadership. Over half of management have pair bonded and started families with current or former employees. Relationships serve as a social proof conveying a message of fitness to lead through an acceptance from peers. What results is the phenomena of workplace relationships extending into intimately personal relationships outside of work: Tuesday night poker games, spousal double dates, drinking buddies, and other

avenues of adult entertaining are manifested through work relationships. Work and community become symbiotic for managers, and work relations are the only opportunity for adult play away from the roles of spouse and parent. Thick Bubble is characteristic of this social dynamic as his brother-in-law aided his promotion into management. I witnessed this occur over ten years ago, and many employees lacked respect for Mr. Bubble’s promotion since they had more experience than he did.

Luckily for him, a high turnover rate exists in the food service industry and those with

statement I was officially ashamed to be a citizen of the United States of America.

When I became a whistleblower, it was Thick Bubble who defended my continued employment. It was less of a headache for him to deal with a discontent employee who could complete duties, than to teach a person off the street to assume the responsibilities of the food preparation.

Yet, I had to endure retribution in the form of being constrained to the most difficult job detail. Having an extensive familiarity with daily operations prompted me to inquire about a part time transfer to another

The truth of it is that you are adequately qualified Harris, but I´m afraid I’ll be hiring somebody else as I don’t think I can stand looking at your stupid face all day long.

criticisms eventually left for employment elsewhere. For over ten years Thick Bubble has engaged the faux rite of passage with a man I will call Argonaut Ball as they ascended from line cooks into management.

When my employers expanded their franchise into a two-store operation in the twin cities, Mr. Bubble and Mr. Ball were the only applicants for the General Manager position in each location. Their promotions garnered them the responsibility of coordinating the staffing for both locations.

Signs were posted in the original location in February directing employees to make inquiry with Mr. Bubble and Mr. Ball regarding location and position preference in the company re-organization actualized in June 2009. The new location was the conversation topic amongst the workers, and all lauded their preferences getting met except Tan-Sun Duck.

Tan-Sun and I were scheduled together every Wednesday and Saturday at five o’clock in the morning. From February of 2009 to late April of 2009, Tan-Sun consistently complained to me that Thick Bubble was not answering his inquiry for job transfer. After thirteen years of grueling labor in the early morning hours TanSun desired to return to the night janitor position he performed for six years during his nineteen years of service to the company. According to his account Mr. Bubble would simply give him a runaround about being busy or would tell him to talk to Mr. Ball. Tan-Sun took his inquiry to Mr. Ball, The Director of Operations, and the Franchise Owner to get the same response: “Talk to Bubble.” Tan-Sun’s broken English may have been frustrating for the store leaders to comprehend and thus the reason why they so easily disregarded him. I could intuit from his story that Thick Bubble was manipulating him. Having created turmoil and headache for my superiors regarding Mr. Bubble’s leadership, I knew there was no tolerance for my intervention on this matter. I was falling apart from the stress of my job and picking another fight was beyond my ability. When Tan-Sun accepted his employment fate he rhetorically stated: “If I am not going to be given a choice of where I can work, I might as well have stayed in Vietnam.” Upon hearing this

department beside prep-cook. This was requested early February of 2008. My inquisition with Mr. Bubble was akin to running into a wall, it went nowhere. He fabricated reasons for me to re-take a six-hour training session I completed, and stipulated that I train my replacement, and before he could make up his next stipulation I dropped the issue. Yet, two weeks later he transferred a relatively recent hire from the nighttimeprep position into the kitchen line. That was my punishment for honestly sullying Thick Bubbles reputation. That experience with Mr. Bubble informed me when considering Tan-Sun’s complaint about being ignored when seeking transfer to another department in the organization. Thus, I reasoned that Mr. Bubble was not going to put his friend, Argonaut Ball, into the predicament of operating a new location without the most experienced and talented laborer “grand fathered” into the new store. I was able to escape the hellish labor of morning prep duties because I do not own a car to reach the new location managed by Mr. Ball. I was most relieved that they opened the new store and took a major burden of my body and mind. Yet after bonding with Tan-Sun Duck in the shared experience of hard labor, I could not take my mind off the fact that I was relieved and he was still enduring backbreaking work. He is more of a man than I could be in his situation, and my grief over his suffering caused me to take action to alleviate my distress.

In examining the legality of Mr. Bubbles actions I utilized the website undercoverlawyer.com. I joined a discussion forum and posted my suspicions about what occurred on my job. To my surprise a lawyer responded to my post:

If it appears to an outsider (e.g. jury) that your Vietnamese co-worker was denied a transfer because of his race, then yes, the Manager’s neglect of your coworkers request would be illegal discrimination.

Lulu is right in pointing out that good evidence of race discrimination in this case would be that white or non-Asian co-workers did receive prompt attention to their transfer requests, but Asian co-workers did not.

If this is the case, then if you report your

November 2009 Indy

7

Manager be sure to specifically state that: “I am concerned about open racial discrimination at our store by the Store Manager when distributing transfers and promotions to the new store. Mr. Store Manager consistently and purposefully neglected the request by my Vietnamese co-worker, Mr._________, while Mr. Store Manager promptly acted upon transfer requests by Caucasian employees. Mr. Store Manager has directly discriminated against Mr. ______ and is also creating a hostile work environment based on race. I care for this company and do not want to see it get tangled up in a web of bad publicity and liability due to the discriminatory actions of this Manager. I hope we can return to the positive workplace this store once was.”

The response prompted me to make a discrimination claim with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (E.E.O.C) on behalf of Tan-Sun Duck. In my interview with the E.E.O.C agents I learned that they only investigate companies under specific conditions. Primarily, if there is collective action by employees to intimidate an employee with racial epithets or effigies, or if there is a documented track record of bigoted statements made by a superior then the E.E.O.C investigates.

The situation I described of preferential hiring through discriminatory neglect did not merit the attention of the E.E.O.C. If I wanted to I could have logged the complaint and gotten official paperwork sent to my employer and I of their non-interest.

This would empower me to find a lawyer and seek the right to sue my employers in a court of law for up to six months after the fore mentioned official documentation of my interview was distributed. I decided that I did not have the resources or will to take my concerns that far, and I have let the matter rest until this essay.

A tell tale sign that a man is maturing can be determined by his willingness to care more for the well being of others than himself. It took me three months to regain a sense of being Normal and un-stress my life from working 10 hour shifts beginning at 5 am, four days a week. During that time my grief regarding Tan-Sun has come full circle to form this essay and sing the song of an unsung hero to my development as a man. The Bloomington-Normal community engages the public relations campaign “Not In Our Town” to shun the practice of racial bigotry. My workplace leadership has not been vigilant to fulfill the public image Bloomington-Normal crafts for itself. The fact that my employers are intimately involved with Illinois State to the point of being a gold level donor for the sesquicentennial, and advertising in the preview pamphlets handed out this summer makes mockery of the “Not In Our Town” campaign. Thick Bubble got away with his machinations and I’m sure Argonaut Ball is oblivious to what was done for him, as privilege tends to breed ignorance and neglect. I could never really pinpoint why Mr. Bubble had it in for Tan-Sun Duck. I only speculate that Tan-Sun could never give Mr. Bubble the admiration and allegiance his temperament shadow produces in his psychology, for Tan-Sun was indebted to the owner who died six years ago.

When combating racial injustice the battleground is never a clear boundary line of right versus wrong. It is a hazy combination of power, privilege, and psychopathology. America mythologizes the value of work and the purpose it serves in the life of a laborer. My reality in the face of this mythology has been that such rhetoric only serves those owning capital resources. As my Rastafari mentor told me, “America has never given up on slavery, it has just changed the rules of the game.”

What occurred with Tan-Sun Duck is a sobering lesson to learn and teach regarding the accuracy and subtle truth to my mentor’s wisdom.

8 Indy Backpage News

November 2009 Indy

El Mundo del Español en ISU

Como las autoras de esta hoja informativa queremos que nos conozcan. Somos estudiantes de español y queremos informarles del mundo del español aquí en ISU.

La profesora nueva en ISU: Dr. Susan Hildebrandt

¡EL CLUB DE ESPAÑOL! ¿Cuándo?

Jueves a 5:00 (cada otra semana) ¿Quién? ¡Todos las personas pueden venir!

Si hablan el español o no. ¡LA HORA DE CONVERSACIÓN! ¿Cuándo?

Jueves a 5:00 (cada semana) ¿Dónde?

En el cuarto de Escalante en el Vrooman centro (entre los dormitorios de Manchester y Hewitt)

Eventos en Noviembre y Diciembre.

Nov. 19: Celebrating Latinos Festivals 6:00p -7:00p

Estudiar en el extranjero

Dic. 3: Fiesta de Navidad 6:00p Por: Becky Kopycinski Estudiar en un país extraño es una -8:00p Lugar: Sótano de “Atkin- oportunidad inolvidable. En general, un Colby” ¡LA NUEVA JUNTADIRECTIVA! Presidente: Susana Arreola (sarreol@ilstu.edu) Vice Presidente: Stephanie Wermes (srwerme@ilstu.edu) La pagina de web: www.mycalendars.net/spanishclub1/

¿Dónde viviste cuando eras niña?

Soy de Spencer, Wisconsin, un pueblito de 1800 personas en el medio del estado.

Mi familia todavía vive allí y ahora tengo más oportunidades de visitarlos. ¿A qué colegio asististe?

Me gradué de UW-Madison en 1995 con la especialidad de “Spanish Education”.

Enseñé el español por cinco años antes de regresar para los estudios graduados. En 2002 recibí mi maestría y luego en 2006 obtuve mi doctorado, los dos de “University of Iowa” en “Foreign Language and ESL Education”. ¿Cuántos años has sido una maestra? ¿Has sido una maestra en dónde más?

Llevo casi 15 años enseñando en total, primero en unas “middle schools” en Wisconsin, luego en unas escuelas primarias y secundarias en Iowa. Llevo casi nueve años enseñando al nivel universitario, amfamilia y un compañero de cuarto de ISU. bos español y cursos en educación para los Con mi experiencia en Granada, tengo una que querían ser maestros, en “University of nueva perspectiva de la cultura de España Iowa”, “Coe College”, y “Longwood Uniy una comprensión más profunda de la versity”. lengua. Aprendí mucho de la mujer con la ¿Por qué escogiste enseñar español? que viví; además de algunas palabras, pero Comencé a estudiar español cuando tenía aspectos de la vida verdadera en Granada 15 años. Era la única opción de lenguaje como la comida, la historia de España, y en mi colegio y era por correspondencia. una perspectiva diferente del mundo. Si Enseñé a mis compañeros de clase porque tienes la oportunidad de visitar o estudiar no había maestro en la clase. Me gustó en un país extraño, aprovéchala porque es explicar los temas de gramática, cultura e algo más grande y profundo de lo que te historia y me encantó enseñarles a los otros imaginas. en la clase.

profesor aconseja a los estudiantes que estudien en otro país, especialmente si estudian una lengua extranjera. Como una estudiante de español, aconsejo que cualquier estudiante estudie en España porque para mí, fue una experiencia maravillosa. Estudié en Granada en la primavera pasada y había muchas oportunidades para aprender la lengua y viajar por España y Europa.

En Granada, los estudiantes viven con una

Para más información envia un correo a Marinelly Castillo: mcastil@ilstu.edu El correo del club de espanol: spanishclub@ilstu.edu Esta hoja informativa fue escrita por Claire Coleman (cecolem@ilstu.edu) y Becky Kopycinski (rmkopyc@ilstu.edu) microfinance organizations.

In 2007, ISU graduate student Mark Tallman returned from a summer study abroad trip to Lima, Peru where he met Maria Romero, a poor Peruvian woman who was seeking a small loan to start her own bakery.

Mark, now a PhD candidate at the University of Denver, founded the Ekkekko Microfinance Association (EMA), a registered student organization dedicated to promoting microfinance as a tool of development and human is certainly applicable here. This and applying it in the real world. rights, educating students distinction is what can make one Students enrolled in a Politics and and the community on microfimicrofinance organization better Government course called Topics nance, and giving students handsand more desirable than another. in Global Studies, taught by ISU on experience in establishing and Consider the organization Ekkek- graduate student Adrian Marquez operating a non-profit organizako started right here in central Il- and overseen by Dr. Carlos Paro- tion. The goal of the EMA is to linois. di, are striving to place ISU in an operate as a non-profit non-politi A group of Illinois State elite group of schools including cal organization providing finanUniversity (ISU) students is in Harvard, Columbia University cial services to prospective entrethe process of taking what they and The London School of Eco- preneurs beginning in the Lima are learning about microfinance nomics which operate student-run area of Peru, with the hopes of Microfinance from page 2:

expanding.

The idea for the name of the organization was inspired by the mythological Incan God of Wealth and Plenty. According to legend, by placing an item that symbolizes your wish on an Ekkekko doll, you will receive it within a year. If you remove the item from the doll, you will lose your wish. An analogy can be made between this legend and the workings of microfinance. Providing something small has the potential to turn into something much larger, and not making loan payments can result in the loss of what one desires. It’s a cycle of give and take, the reciprocity of microfinance.

EMA has applied to the IRS for 501(c)(3) tax exemption status. Once this is granted, EMA will begin providing financial services to entrepreneurs through FINCA Peru, a microfinance institution based in Lima. Working with an already established

microfinance institution is the most efficient way for EMA to get into the business of providing financial services, but will also allow for EMA to become a microfinance institution capable of operating on its own.

Thanks to a chance meeting between an ambitious Peruvian woman and an ISU student, the Ekkekko Non-Profit Organization will soon be providing financial services in the form of microcredit to people who otherwise would have no chance of receiving financial services of any type from the formal banking sector. Maybe what this group of ISU students need is a little help from the God of Wealth and Plenty. Change is possible, but is never easy. A little can go a long way.

If you are interested in becoming involved with the Ekkekko Microfinance Association, have questions, or would like more information, please email contact@ekkekko.org.