May 11, 1972

The Scarlet and Black,

Re-entering American Culture

by Andy Brill

it‘s been nearly a year since i set
loot once again on primordial terrir
tory. My return had been accelernr
ted [iv a seeminly indelible case of
dysentery. The overwhelming cttlr
Iure shock gushed into nry veins

Probably any discussion ot culture
shock must include a minimal dcs-
cription of preexistcnt conditions In
my case, ior approximately a yeni-l
had traveled the roads and rivers of
Southeast Asia's land of islands,
trekked in theI Kathmandu Valley and
outer mountainous regions otNepnl,
and later made it overland through
India, W. Pakistan, and Afghanistan
I Slept in the cheapest shelters
available, ate local food on the
streets, and made incredible efforts
to sense the sentiments oltne people
around me. Indeed, by the time I
arrived in Nepal, I had adopted and
emulated a nearly antipodial mode at
existence A grossly decelerated
pace oi lite, a greater sensitivity
toward fellow Man, and a sense of
communal conviviance which was so
necessary in order to harmoniously
relate and share in the myriad of new
cultural settings.

Naturally. in order to evaluate such
an experience there must exist some
method of contrast. I have chosen my
presently realized place in Amer»
ican culture as this comparative
index.

Upon exposure to the inerts otmas-
Sive machinery and neurotic tourists
in Kennedy International Airport, I
suffered a mayor psychological col»
lapse i cried beyond control, and
telt Crowdedrin irom every the
motion. The people around me, the
walls, and even the air seemed to
putt and wheeze in asthmatic pain,
impatient tourists demanded “sew
vice" from behind the counter, par

rents screamed at their Sellrcrear
tibns 0| hostility. women pasted llieil
tuces in last minute pedicure. ctc.,
etc . ad tnttnitrrrn Only one thing
was clear‘ Already. I was paililully
being sucked back into a universe ot
illdelicutc order and negative elitlo'
ptiy The systematn adherence to
trrno and bur-cauc , wascr pltng
The Need to get Where", (it) "till. '.
and Not be free crilstetl the setting
with n lotrg iorgotton stench The
thought ot my ensuing reenculttlrnr
tion was devastating l ttiought it
would be simply irnpossrblc

That was nearly a year ago i sci .
lously doubt, however, it this past
experience attects iriy outwnr-ri bo—
liavlor in airy strangely noticeable
degree. Yes, i have once again been
thoroughly cnculturaied. But tlrrs
time, I have taken detailed notice of
the process de are

There existcd two l‘adlcdlly bolt»
riled alternatives Either disowli
my surrounding and become a bona
tide recluse, or simply make on
ettort necessary in order to coexist
with the outside World, Not being a
nihilist, I chose the outside route
The greatest hurdle was acclamnr
tizihg myseli to the American moder
tizing myseli to the American mode
oi interpersonal communication
Skeletal, tirghly unspiritual, execs»
stvely superticral, and magnetically
inarticulate in its demand for sour-
ces or external energy (l,e ,a waste
land devoid of internal peace) Since
my departure trom these paradig-
matic tendencies was only hriei,
their selfrsustaining malignancy
was soon to he acquired. The clear
est indicator or my reiniectron was
my ﬁnal homeostasis with the once
terribly hostile environment.

1 have clearly indicated my pre»
terence The encounters with foreign
peoples and their behavioral melr

liberal Democrat Topscott
Aims For lowa Governorship

by Al Rosenfield

On Monday, May 1, State Senator
and gubernatorial hopeful John Taps
Scott (DrDes Moines) paid a brief
Visit to Grinnell While enroute to a
speaking engagement in Cedar
Rapids. Following a morning cniiee
hour at Professor Voertman’s home,
the senator was interviewed by the
Scarlet and Black, and then luncned
in the quad with a group ofstudents.
It would seem that campus interest
in Iowa politics is not very keen at
present as eVidenced by the number
of students interested in meeting and
talking with Senator Tapscott, prob
ably due to the fact that most studs
ents have not seriously considered
Voting in Iowa in November, The
primary election, with Tapscott (as,
ing Franzenburg, is to be held August
1, and, with low exceptions, Grinnell
students will be anyplace but
Grinnell come August 1

Tapscott was quick to point out that,
in spite of the unfortunate date ol
the primary, he definitely could use
student support, the campus vote,
contrary to some people's helieis,
promises to be very signiticant.
He urges all students to think serir
ously about declaring residency in
Iowa (no registration is required in
Grinnell), obtaining an absentee
ballot tor the primary, and getting
out to voteﬁln lowa Greg Vranicar
points out that Grinnell students
spend most of their Ilmennearly
eight months out or the year. to be
more preciseﬁln Grinnell, It would
seem very logical, then, tor people
to take an interest in lowa polir
tics. In addition, your Vote in Grins
nell could conceivably mean more
here than, say, in Los Angeles,
Chicago, New York, or any other
highly populated area.
teels that the state tnnding or pro-
grams tor the elderly holds low
priority in the present adminis-
tration’s view, citing the expendir
ture of $128,000 for a heliport in
Waterloo, or the spending or
$420,000 tor cups and ribbons for
county fairs, or the construction of
a millionrdollar rest area for

motorists, when this money could be
used to help people who are sutter—
ing. A rearrangement oi priorities
and a new progressive income tax
would he the solutions tor iundmg
better programs tor the elderly,

When asked about one of his 53m,
paign slogans, Tapscott articulated
his feelings on the problems of in-
equality oi trio in lowa. The hit-
grant workers in town are raced with
job discrimination and social
inequalities which should not he In
a country such as ours. Tapscott‘s
“Quality ot Lile " slogan is an
attempt to articulate, in general
terms, his lecltngs that everyone,
regardless of race, religion,
national Origin, should have the
opportunity to make a good lite ior
Iiim or hersellnespeclally in Iowa,
The disenfranchised minorities in
lowa should have access to equal
education, good housing, and equal
Job opportunities with the rest of
the people or town.

And what interview or a political
hopetul would be complete without a
question on the Vietnam War‘7 When
asked his views on our role in the
war, Tapscott said, ~- . ,1 am tor
complete, total, unilateral withr

drawal from Southeast Asia . .1
think it's ridiculous that We are

participating in whit 1 consider to
be :in immoral, civil, political war
in Southeast Asia,” He was quick
to add, however, that he was not
running for President at the United
States(whlcn migtit not be the worst
idea), but tor governor at Iowa
in any case, Senator Tapscott can
safely he labeled a liberal demoe
crat. tn the State oi Iowa, how,
ever. such labels are the kiss ot
death unless one is able to mare

strait constructive support hour the,

young and young at heart liberals
who are scattered around the state
The times are changing in Iowa,
and Tapscott is changing with the
tinres it anyone is, Maybe as
governor oi lowa Tupscott wouldn't
be able to order a withdrawal at
American iorces lr-om Vietnam, but
he could sure ground the national
guard in an awiul hui-r-y,

lotvnt‘ss Siistiiillctl it loeling OI slicer
dilliisitm of cultural enirnphv. Anti
tire acriii demands oi yni-c disap-
poured in their silflncittitlti illltltzl'
benign dcglcct

I have often llccli liskcd' ”II you
i'uilllv [eel this strongly (lltmlt Wes-
torn culture, why the troll didn t you
Stay in your Southeast Asian \tolntl".
as well .is. ”Have volt lost the pit ‘
potted incllouness which you My
quiretl during your tl'ttvels" . l
have ilo tlilecl answers tor llotli oi
those sorts or questions. prollaltly
because I don't leel any .al need to
do so. My reluctance is [unity based
on personal iustrtrcntrons And this,
perhaps, is the kornnl oioxperrcnce
which I still retain.

As long as l cun maintain my 'in-
tertialhood" ili peace and harmony
(which I did learn lrolli Iriy travels),
the questions ot‘etllter/or" become
irrelevant alid disconnected This
may he the root of dillerence bee
tween the East and the West The
vectorial mode at American
personal philosophy is so thoroughly
directed outside of Self that matters
oI inward interest reninin unatr
tended, and finally denied. The quess
tions of ‘wllat shall I do?" rest with
realizations of personal utility, not
personal harmony The Western
universe is seen as Cross-hatched
with a matrix otcyberrretics, while
its horde of creators Slipplic’dte tin»
der its slotted sequence ot dl-
rections It’s been said before "It's
what's out front that counts.”

I realize that to many this pre—
ceding tumble of words may seem
more like "didrrheahood" than "ins
ternalhood," l umiably grant this
reaction My account simply repre—
sents a personal reaction to an
initially terrrtying experience oi
reequilibration Although its nearly
abortive twist is far from enviable
the net outlook on the previously
unseen has been inexpressnhly vale
uable

SCARLET AND BLACK
COMMENCEMENT MAGAZINE
The next issue of the Sth will be
published May 23, 1972. It will be
distributed to seniors and alumni
in late May and will be mailed to
the homes of undergraduates

.cw Quite
Flicks For Study Breaks |

i .rtn vcr v sort-v toicportn shirnr»
intly no showing on last week's
(:tltltesl, The host VOl'ilizlhlU score
tins only live out at ten Anyone
doing better nnd wishing to dis-
plitv his talents as next year's lilm
clillt‘ should contact the editors,

There is it Wide varietv on the filnl
schedule tor the next week and a
hall Use vbilr study breaks to en-
toy these ientnre presentations
coming soon to a theater near you,

For lihdilt the lirst tilteen minutes
Hospital is a very good motion pier
trrre, Tire opening displays a wit
and sophistication that the rest 01
the movie strives for but never re-
captures. What Could be excellent
satire deteriorates inlo cliche and
psnerlorclcvnnce George c. Scott
chalks up another irneper-torrnancc,
btit III a role somewhat weaker than
the tour de force of Patton.

All that was said about Alina Chris-
tie WIien it was first released was
“Garbo talks". It was enough. Many
people think that this film shows its
age in terms or today's more pol-
ished tastes, but this is exactly the
kind of film Ihal helped in the buff-
ing Another oldie that is a bit pale
with age, but always worth the price
oi admission is The Big Broadcast
of 1938. The plot here is an un»
necessary tritle whose only pure
pose is to give an odor ot prEr
sentation to the different scenes.
Fields' hard life began to catch up
with him and he took a bad turn soon
after this movie was made Still.
it is more fun than most things
you will see. Pay attention to the
scenic desiEn.

A Grinnell rerun of Triumph of
The Will is also On tap this week-
end. Although it is one of the most
important trlms ever made, I had
it univatcnable, It is the supreme
example or the use ot the cinema
tor propaganda, and is quite interr
estlng from that point of view. The
medium is the message,

If you crave yet another hiest
fllck, there are two-count them,
tworcoming soon to the Strand.
Dollars tries to be cute and funny
and isn’t to very many people. The
Hot Rock is supposed to succeed
at being tunny, but not much else.
it is the work of many or the people

continued: “It’s one oi the argu-

thit brought you WItm‘t-‘s I’tlmtil itlttl
\iill prolhtltly appeal to the some
.rtrdronco

itvnn's bnughtcr is rush on tho
5 ant schedule. The story ls pi
i bird girl gonc good, but its tlilCCr
Itmt is in example or it good i n
guno bud David Lean used to mnko
great movies tilled wrttr bentrtrtul
camera work. Now hcinst takes
henutiinl pictures tic woulddo quite
well with Ster Chili calendars. hilt
one can't watch a calendar torthree
hour-s iii a movie theater, Thc [lei-
torrnnnces are generally uneven and
showy, the dialogue and symbolism
ore insipid, but the quality oi )JI‘OV
ductron is irrst rate

An Oasis In A
Cultural Desert

by Brian Hill

The Francesco Trio devoted their-
last appearance here to the \torks
oi Beethoven, and, not surprisingly,
Nathan Schwartz was the pivotal
member

David Abel’s periormance oi the
Sonata in c Minor, Op 30, No. 2,
showed him in impeccable tor-in,
and Bonnie Hampton‘s renderrirg ol'
the Sonata in 13 Mayor, Op 102,
No 2, was no less enjoyable. But
their pertormance oi the inonue
mental Trio in Bella! Major, 0p. 97,
was not altogether sattsiyrng, An
aura oi nobility and grandeur ought
to be created in the statement oi the
opening theme, but Nathan Schwartz
chose instead to break it up into
a series or short, distorted trag-
ments This essentially romantic
outlook brought better results in the
Scherzo which torcshadows both a
Schuberttan Landler and a bravura
waltz oi Weber. Schwartz hrouglrt
the noticeably more diiiicult piano
part or tire tinale under control,
though occasionally torgetting the
acoustical problems oi Herrick
Chapel. The Presto, with a hint or
Rossini, brought the performance
to a brilliant close.

But these are indeed triilrng Criti—
cism. without the Trip. we'd he
inhabiting a cultural desert and their
absence will be ion by many,

Finds Grinnell Still ‘livey,_E__xc_iting’t

“The immediate reaction ttiad to
Grinncll when i came here was‘What
a live place it isi‘ llow much is go-
ing on: ttow many ideas are being
generated: And especially-what a
very lively extracurricular lite
there was!"

The enthusiasm that Howard
Bowen, Grinnell's seventh president,
telt when he came here to assume his
dutres in 1955 has changed very
little in an interview with the son
while lie was here tor the Board
oi Trustees meeting several weeks
ago as a newly elected Board
member, Bowen retlected on some or
the changes that have taken place at
Grinnell in the cight years since
he tell to go on the University at
lowa and eventually cturcmont Uru-
versrtv Ccntor-

Bowen's presidency here, in,the
nine years beginning with 1955, was
a period or tremendous growth and
change Hurling Library, the Fine
Arts Building and Roberts Theater,
at d the Forum were all built during
this time. Now, Bowen thinks the
college's plans to expand the size
of the student body can bc success—
ini is n movc townr-d economy oi
operation, since thc physical inciti-
ties can absorb more students than
now use them.

lie thinks the change in slitdentr
tocnlty ratio may not make a big
diiiorcncc on the etlectrveness oi
etltlcallon-»ttte actual change in
class size should be small, and the
evidence on the relation ot the size
oi classes to good instruction is
only "intuitive"

independent study, already a heavy
load on the laculty, would be altectr
ed by a larger student body, but
Bowen thinks it should not Iletlisr

merits tor having a small institu-
tion and a good ratio. The other ar-
gument iSrrCan higher education ate
turd it?" He suggests that it may be
possible to have a kind ofcotnpromr
mlse in many cases--study in which
a number of students would be do-
ing the same work: reading, writ-
ing papers, solving problems as rer
quired by the study all at the same
tinle under the direction of one face
ulty member It would still be ins
dependent study, but because several
students would do it at the same time,
the costs Lind time required from
[acuity members for handling Stud-
ents could he reduced.

in the seventeen years since the be—
grnnrng of Bowen‘s presidency trere,
the student residence system has uni
dergone tremendous changes, trrst
begitn by the transition “lrom the
old style parietal to the new style

tree student life" during his admin.
rstratron Tile“coeducatiunalizar
tion" at the dormitories and the
tlexibrlrty in housing options has all
been started in years since Bowen
lett, but he views the changes lave
orably. However, he values the unity
oi the carrrpus in past years very
strongly and says “I'd hate to see
the strong community lile here lost
by people dispersed till over and
living totally dritercnt styles oi lite
and not communicating with one
another,"

Several months ago, only ateiv
weeks before the ”academic pres
sure" discussions at Grinnell in No-
vember oi last semester, Dr Bowen
lectured nt Monmouth College on
"The private College nitd its
Future" saying, in part, that the my
tense ettort to improve educational
ins 'tiutions and the constant come
petition amoung them tor l'ecotztlir

DR. HOWARD BOWEN

Iion “has taken away from thejoy
of college life," He told the 8&8
last month that he thinks some of
that "joy” » the relaxation and
sociability at college when academ-
ic. protessrorral, and social prese
sures are not overly ilitelise-rhus
been returning in the past tow year-s

Wittr sortie hesitation suppose
the laculty will he very upset \iilll
lne tor saying things like this -

but with a concern and understand-
irtg that Itlost students will appl'er
crate during trrruls nook, Bowen
asked "What is it good atmosphere
tor- it college? it you press too lrnrd
on the academic, it could lte that

you are shutting out certain (tiller
areas. ,We're trying to ai’iect
people’s persollalllies its well as
their knowledge ”

 

