JuslL Out OlSingapore’s Crib

by Andy Brill

The scene was set, The Premiers
of Malaya and Singapore (Tenkgu
Abdul Razak, and Lee Kuail Yew
respectively) were about to meet in
Kuala Lampur for the countries’
first high level talks It would be
nearly live years since the Malay-
sian Federation partitioned into Mar
laya and Singapore due to officials
idiosyncrasies and blind egocentrlr
cities. Both hoped to bridge the
jaded gap.

Geographically, Singapore is situr
ated immediately across irom the
tip oi the Malaysian archipelego, The
countried are linked by a massive
causeway, which delivers one oi
Singapore’s most delicate diplo-
matic points, its water supply Both
Malaysians and Singaporians are
ﬂuidly allowed to cross into either
country for the small price ofex-
hibiting an identity card. Thus the
major cities in both countries have
considerable numbers of both nae
tionalitiesl

Hair Pollution

Just ii days belore the supposedly
historic conlerence, an incident of
micromolecular size shuffled the
entire plan for progress. Several
young Malays were strolling down
one oi Singapore’s busier arteries
and were unexpectedly arrested by
several policemen who charged them
with unreasonably long hair, For the
past year Singapore had closed their
doors to foreign ”longahail's" and
“hippi-types.” A national campaign
had been launched, Spatiered with
themes of ”social pollution" and
“Charles Manson, murderer and
Hippi leader”. Although the resul-
tant pressure on Visiting expatriots
was consistently demonstrated at
both the international airport and
the causeway entrance, none was
ever really applied on visiting long-
haired Malaysian citizens It was a
first.

Hairy Diplomacy

Alter dragging the two youths to a
nearby police stationﬁthetgt‘iicers
proceeded to dissect the wavy locks
with a pair of barber shears. There
existed a subtle point worth further
mention: Not only were the two
officers Singapore policemen, but
they were also Chinese. This lact
alone would be enough to further
fuel the blazening racial crisis exr
isting between the Malays and their
economic torebearers, the Chinese.
Once the Malays were released alter
the unwarranted balding, they im-
mediately ran to the Malaysian Coils
sulate in order to make an official
complaint. The Malaysian officials
gluttonously gobbled the entire re-
port, and in several days proceeded
to lodge an oilicial diplomatic come
complaint with the Singapore gov

ernment. As had been careiully done
in the past, a Lilliputian issue grew
into a lcstei-ing statement oidiplo-
matic threat, Both countries'
presses parasitized the question
oi diplomatic coi-ttiality (the press
in both countries is ostensibly the
lirst derivative voice of the ruling
party). in addition to the childish
outcry “per se", the issue was
naturally iuxtaposed by the upcoming
talks between the two Premiers.
The talking and writing continued to
grow, iinally cascading like a tum-
bling avalanche. To the satislaction
at many, and the shock and dismay
oi others seriously committed to
mending the two countries' obi
ltquities, the heralded talks were
cancelled, Commiuiication between
the two diplomatic missions calmed
to quiet, and a soring diplomatic
crisis was in lull bloom.

Front Page News

The international media was quick
to imbibe the awkward situation,
Both “The New York Times" and
the ”London Times" carried lront
page columns characterizing the

conflict as childish and innztne. Soon
tourist sections reconsidered their

estimations of Singaporian hos
tality And although the major cri ,
cism focused on the fetal reactions
of both countries involved, a subtle
linger oi blame pointed directly
in the visage ol the Singapore re-
gime

While tenaciously maintaining their
diplomatic integrity, the Singapore
government was nevertheless feelr
ing the lact ol bugheaded instigar
tion. The maniacal interchange was
soon allayed, however, by an official
statement of apology and guilt issued
by the Singapore government and
delivered to the simpering Kuala
Lumpur royalty. it was also publi-
cized that the two officers involved
would be duly punished and demoted.
as well as a synchronous warning
to the rest of the Singapore police
force. This was nough to satisfy
the Malaysian offi ials, and diplo-
matic relations resumed their us-
ual active but functio'nally' lethargic
dimensions.

with Open Arms

Singapore yet had to reconcile the
unhospltable characterization dellr
vered by the international media.
The decided recourse was to dlar
metrically swing the entire policy
on the banning oi “hippbtypes.”
The doors long sealed to “long-
hairs“ and “mini»skirters“ were
suddenly ravinous ior entry. Cone
trary to previous times, “hippi—
types” streamed into Singapore and
congested the opium districts and
iood stalls The word got around:
Singapore was suddenly a good place
to crash

Cultural Interfaces

by Bill Thomas

I've been thinking a lot lately about
the Golden Rule, and I was going to
write an article about it, But thenl
remembered a vision that came to
me over Christmas Vacation:

Young Dr. Frankenstein made a
man out oi pieces oi several diller.
ent people, which he had exhumed
from one place and another around
town, Now, you know why organ
transplants are so dillicnlt . the
body has a strong rejection reaction
to ioreign tissue. The woman who
wrote the story oi Frankenstein
didn't know about this, but l do, and
in my vision I saw the man Dr.
Frankenstein had created standing
in the middle ola room. As he stands
there, all the places where he has
been sewn together start to itch and
torment him, like little nettle stings,
il you've ever had those, and then
worse. The Ludwig arm starts try-
ing to shake loose the Wilhelm hand,
the Heinrich hand starts clawing at
the Peter stomach, wanting to tear
out the Gwendolyn pancreas and the
Hermann liver, and the combiatiun
WolfgangsHarold-Rlchartl leg starts
trying to kick itsell apart. Eventu-
ally, all the pieces lay in a soggy
and scattered pile, disintegrated but
relieved.

This vision (I call it a vision be-
cause it had more power and clarity
than my usual lantasies) cameto me
while i was lying on my bed at home,
reading a copy of the complete short
stories of II, C. Wells, which I had
received for Christmas. The thing
that struck me about it right away
was that the created man was unable
to function, because of the intoler-
able reactions bred by his diverse
origins, but that once he had relieved
this problem, he could do nothing be-
cause lie had destroyed himseli.

immediately, or course, my Grin-
hell-trained mind saw metaphorand
allegory. it occurs to me as I write
this that the vision could have been
telling me something about certain
personal things 1 was goingthrough,
but up until now 1 have thought oi it
in terms of what’s happening to the
country You can see the comparison
ior yuursell, It doesn’t make tor a
very happy prediction, but the iact
that I had the vision stands to me as
some kind oi convincing iorce. 0l
course, reasoning by analogy is lo-
gically iaulty, and I suppose that
reasoning by allegory might be even
more laulty

l wrote the vision down in a letter
to a friend, which i never mailed.
She'll find out about it if she reads
her 3513 this week.

This entire sequence of events,
the ironic synchrony ol determined
progress and indomitable regres-
sion, typiiies the paranois and la‘
minated historical grudges which
infest the present developing nations
of Southeast Asia. Raped by a past
of colonial meniality, both Singapore
and Malaya olten act like struggling
children emerging with a newly
inherited umbilical freedom. I em-
pathized with the cross-linked
dilemma, but never tailed to be
stymied and conlused by the spor—
adic bubbles oi baby bargaining,

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Political Activity

SDS

The Scarlet and Black

It’s hard to writealair review when’
Rolling Stone Magazine picked the
group as the best new group of 1971
and everyone tells you how greatthey 7
are. However, i thought it was time E
to hear this group for myseii, so one
of the “Mears Boys” gave meacopy
or The Morning Alter, the newest
release ol the J. Geils Band. I was
quickly told that ”it’s great, but
it’s not as good as their first!"
With this warning in mind, I lis-
tened to The Morning Alter. The
reason lor their success instantly
became apparent upon hearing the
lirst cut. Rock and roll! Not blaring,
not bubblegum. Just that kind ol rock
that gets you up on your feet.
A “typical” 1. Cells sound is heard
in a song that has had much AM
airplay recently, “Looking tor a
Love" is a driving rock number
which the listener will enjoy the

Urges Student Effort

by Steve Nunn

There is not much reason to be
gratilied, or even satisiied, in the
quality oi Grinnell political activity
recently. As one of the organizers
on campus for last month's caucus
noted ruelully, a community as high-
ly educated, politicized, and com-
mitteed as the college--at all levels

5 supposed to he, might have done
better.

if the idea behind the Democratic
open convention procedures is to
attract into the political process
groups formerly outside‘it, then it
was not successful here. The stun
dent turnout at the caucus, though
large, was only about 10% of what
it might have been. And that 10%
was unrepresentative; in tact, it
was difficult for the delegations to
approximate the makeup of the pea
pulation correctly, not because they
didn't want to, but because in many
cases, due to low participation, they
were not able to give the full share
of representation warranted.

All of which means that certain
elements (like students) who have
agitated the most and the best for
reiorm, lailed, when theywerepre-
sented with a genuine opportunity
to allect the political process, to
take advantage of it.

This happened in part because of
a distrust springing irom an intuir
tion that the system is not inter
ested in making any real names
sions to the new elements that it
is inviting into itself. New elements
lire welcome only at the bottom. The
party seemingly cannot make the
gesture required to demonstrate its
ultimate good faith, which would be
-to open up its decision»making posi-
tions.

The gesture always seems to lall
short of the goal. For example, the
appointment oi Susan Morrice to
the new post of campus representa-
tive indicated the party’s new aware-
ness of and interest in students.
At the same time, the apparent na-
ture oi the job—-which she expects
will consist largely of “putting up
signs” and generally getting out the
vote (our vote) beginning "around
September”~showed that they cre-
ated a pipeline irom them to us,
when what is needed is a pipeline
from us to them.

This kind of thing does not result
from a reciprocal distrust on the
part of the party for the new ele-
ments, but irom a misunderstand
ing of what the new elements want.
The party--particularty here where
it is lull oi McCarthy peoplenis
probably hon st in calling for grass
roots parti pation and diversi-
fication and so forth. If its over
titres are rejected, it will not be
clear to the party why this hap-
pened.

To conceive, then, oi student par-

ticipation in terms at putting up
signs and licking envelopes rellects
not contempt but condescension and
a paternalism which, though unac-
ceptable, are easy to comprehend.
Many things that happened at the
caucus indicated this condescension,
an inability if not an unwillingness
to accept the new elements as lull
partners. This is why itprobably did
not even occur to the party leader
ship to make the post of “campus
representative” more than it is.

The bigger the stake in the system
you give, or force on, someone, the
less likely he is to mess around
with that system. But the party does
not see how giving up some ol its
chips will enable it to play better.
it can’t make the quantum jump.

Those outside distrust the party,
and when the party does not follow
through lully with its attempts to
bring them in, their distrust in-
creases. The party, however, con-
linues to hang back from the kind
of commitment that would indicate
a new way oi seeing the political
problem.

In View of these difficulties, it is
necessary that students and others
exercise some more initiative polls
tically. This can be successful, as
in the case of Phil and Judy Mears,
Grinnell alums who got to be com-
mitteeman and committeewoman for
Malcom. The party is open to inir
tiative and to aggressive action,
But it is too much to ask that it
voluntarily give up the positions of
substance in its structure.

Or as Chairman Mao would put it,
“In politics, learn from Fhil
Mears.”

Febmarvtlly‘lﬂl

W i
first time through. It’s a song which
starts out fast and hard but unbe-
lievably builds throughout, never
once letting go oi the constant drive.
This song is only one example of the
energetic rock found on the album.
‘I Don’t Need You No More” and
‘Cry One More Time” prove that
J, Gells Band are excellent musir
clans Peter Wolf's Vocals are first-
rate. His slightly gravelly voice has
the power which is so essential. if
rock is to be successful. He never
once lets down,

cells and company constantly keep
the pace moving, but they are not
restricted to “hard rock”. “Floyd’s
Hotel” is a honkyrtonk melody with
an appropriate piano solo. “Wham-
mer Jammer” features "Magic
Dick” on the harp, and he proves
quite capable ofblowing a mean tune!
The band’s balance is perfect; nei-
ther the drums northe guitars cover
the harp Solo, "The Usual Place"
is a 1950's rock sound, a melody in
threerquarter time which sounds a
great deal like the Beatles’ “Oh
Darling”. The harmonies are ex»
cellent

There are some weak spots on the
album. “So Sharp” is an unimagina-
tive number with a very plain guitar
break. And “It Ain’t What You Do”
becomes repetitious in its length.
But the weaknesses are few, The J.
Gells Band lives up to all the pub
licity they’ve been getting lately.
There are not many bands around
today who can still play good dance
able rock and roll. i. Geils' group
is one that can. If you ever have the
chance, see them in person, i never
have, but this album proves that they
play some mighty line music!

3-

, sherbet?»

The East Street Gallery of Photo»
graphy at 723 State Street in Grin»
nell will begin showing photography
by Jeremy Cooper of Mnaitoulin
Communes February 15, The sale
lery is open lrom tp.m, to ttp.m.

 

’ 3a WWW

Adler Displays Technique,

But Herrick'

by Brian Hill

The first student chamber music
concert of the semester featured a
divertimenlo for ﬂute, violin, and
cello by Haydn and music for piano
luur hands by Erik Satie.

Flutist Sam Adler displayed his
characteristic fine technique, con-
trary to rumors circulating con-
cerning last year’s disaster in the
performance of music from Parsi-
iil, conducted by the departed David
Wuolridge. Adler received sensitive
support irom David Clampitt and

Barbara Cox.
Morceaux en Forme de Poire fared

less well. Satie required a line
firm, singing tone as well as in»

5 Not The Place

fallible technique Satie’s economy
ol texture and brevity places de-
mands on the pianist familiar with
the solo keyboard works of Mozart.
These difficulties were not diminr
ished when encountered by the two
pianists Lynn Tesch and Gilbert
Fried. Tesch and Fried were less
than successful, and the expanses
of Herrick Chapel did little to al-
leviate the problems.

Although the length of the program
was not more than thirty minutes,
hopefully such inlorinnl student rea
citals will be presented in the more
intimate South Lounge. There is a
certain irreverence about Satle when

his works are played in the Chapel, ,v

 

