University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor

Tenacious Bugger Of A Paper Wad

The wad landed behind one
of the lamps, which circle the
sides of the Glass Hat, on the
second column from the right
of the side facing Gilmer Hall.
Again, for some reason, the
wad is now celebrating the
sixth anniversary of being on
the column, tenacious bugger,
and may be viewed anytime
the Glass Hat is open.

Surviving The Bomb

I have a few remarks to
make about Ms. Prinz's review
of the Virginia Player's
production of Macbeth. I am
not a student of Shakespeare,
but one of the Classics who has
read so much (2000-years-worth)
literary criticism that I
can no longer read Homer
without some impertinent
remark about the "Disunity of
the Iliad" popping into my
head.

What is so unsound about a
new version of Macbeth?
Christopher Logue has
"translated" Book XVI of the
Iliad, in which Hector kills
Patroclus, in such an innovative
and vital way that I am sure
the 19th century German
classical scholars turned in
their graves when it was
published: after all, these men
knew what Homer was.

Homer was a great sage who
could be understood
meaningfully only by tearing
him apart, and after we had his
vital organs out on the table we
could fully comprehend what
he was trying to say. Well,
Christopher Logue was more
interested in rewriting Homer
so that the sophisticated 20th
century machine, such as
myself, would have a definite
"rush."

It is so important to restate
the literature of times long
gone by within the context of
one's contemporary world. If
we don't do this, Ms. Prinz, I
fear that Homer and
Shakespeare will not survive
the Bomb.

Bravo to Mr. Bell, a director
who not only is wildly
imaginative, but a man who
had the courage to review
Shakespeare in this sterile
literary world of ours. As far as
I am concerned, the
entire production of Bell's
Macbeth is brilliant, and I am
not proud to seem an
intellectual ass to the
professional critics in saying so.

Tammany Hall

If one of the functions of
the Student Council is to
prepare its members for future
political offices, we think it is
doing a laudable job. In
particular, the politics of
elitism are being well taught.

Let's take an example – the
recent appointments to the
Student Presidential Selection
Committee. The student body
was encouraged to seek
positions on this committee.
However, the Student Council
was apparently merely giving
lip service to the democratic
process, specifically in its
choice from the Education
School. For who was selected
but the executive secretary of
the screening committee itself?

We do not wish to denigrate
Ms. Storey. The facts speak for
themselves. However, such a
blatant example of pork barrel
politics should not go
unrewarded. Therefore, it is
our suggestion to properly
recognize the true spirit of the
Student Council by changing
the name of their residence
from Newcomb Hall to one
more fitting – Tammany Hall.

'Trouble Shooter'

In the Wednesday, March
21 edition of the Cavalier
Daily, "Trouble Shooter"
reported that the Paramount
Theater had refused to refund
the price of tickets to the
canceled performance of
"Tommy." The "Trouble
Shooter's" investigation of the
refusal seems to have consisted
of contacting the manager of
the Paramount and of taking
his word that he had no legal
liability for the fraud that had
apparently been perpetrated.

It does not trouble me
that he denied complicity in
the incident. I am bothered,
however, that his assessment
was so obsequiously accepted
by the Trouble Shooter. I
would suggest that his legal
position is not nearly so clear.

Last week another
student complained that he
had not been refunded $22
that he had pre-paid to Life
Magazine prior to its demise.
"Trouble Shooter" contacted
Life and was told that the
student could receive a
subscription to another
magazine "of equal value." No
mention was made of a refund.
"Trouble Shooter" then had
the audacity to editorially
assert that this solution was
"fair." Perhaps it was trying to
convince itself that justice had
prevailed; it certainly didn't
convince anyone else.

"Trouble Shooter" has
imposed upon itself the duty
of championing the powerless
consumer in his disputes with
strong and insensitive forces.
To this point it had done little
more than act as a forum for
the same forces that it was
meant to confront. Neither
"Trouble Shooter" nor any
other organization can be
expected to right every wrong,
but it ought to do more than
humbly accept the self-serving
assertions of offending parties.

I would suggest that
unless "Trouble Shooter" is
willing to vigorously pursue its
self-imposed duty, it ought to
cease further defrauding the
hopeful student body who
expect from its efforts more
than they themselves could
obtain.

Race Important?

With regards to your
article reporting on the
abduction and rape of a
University Coed: Please explain
why that when the abductors
are blacks, they are referred to
as such, but when they are
white, this is not mentioned.

It seems to say, "You see,
they are black! They are
dangerous people!" When you
make the differentiation, you
imply that their race is some
explanation of the crime, and
that, in fact, the race of the
abductor is important if that
race is Negro, but not
important if that race is
Caucasian.