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%e <Pofemic / Octo6er 30, 1996 Advisor's note: The following article comes from The Fourth Estate, Harrisburg Area Community College's Student Newspaper. Located in east- ern Pennsylvania not far from Philadelphia, Harrisburg Area Community College is linked with The Polemic as part of Exploring America's Communi- ties: In search of Common Ground. Sponsored by the National Endowment of the Humanities and the American Association of Community Colleges, Ex- ploring America's Communities is designed to promote understanding of contemporary American culture. No Author was listed anywhere in the original paper copy. -The Fourth Estate. HARRISBURG AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Voiumt xxx1ir No. 2 f Ptnnsylvania'ifini ti;i,im~nity colltgt siu<kni ;,;,i,~paper ... ' Septem EDITORIAL ' 6 • The Fourth Estate · Tupac Shakur got what he asked for:· American society has something to learn The death of Death Row Records rapper, Tupac Shakur on September 13, raises some issues with which East and West Coast rap fans are familiar with. Most East Coast rap fans have a loyalty to East Coast rappers that is fierce. So fierce, that laughter and scoffs of "he had it coming," seemed acceptable at the news of Shakur's death. It-was common knowledge among irap fans in New York and some here in Central Pennsylvania that, after the release of Shakur's song "Hit 'Em Off", he would not live to see '97. The rivalry and exchange of words -between East and West Coast rappers may be more familiar in New York and California, but it is ·one that urban teens, including those in Harrisburg, can relate to, and others should be aware of as tmem bers of this nation. The specific rivalry that deals with Tupac Shakur began back in November 1994. Shakur was shot five times in the lobby of a New York recording studio, in what police termed a robbery. Speculation arose with the release of Bad Boy rapper Biggie Smalls' song "Who Shot Ya?". From critics to the offices of Death Row Recording, including Shakur, questions began to ari~e about the meaning of Biggie's song, and how, if at all, did Biggie play a part in Shakur's shooting. This began the battle of the coasts. Constant words, accusations., and disrespects flowed between the the ~wo Coasts in songs, interviews, and newspaper articles. Tupac Shakur came lback with his single "Hit 'Em Off'. Spouting rhymes that included death threats such as: "Biggie Smalls just · got dropped .. smoke the Junior Mafia right in front of you ... Biggie ... about to get murdered for the paper ... Any of you niggers from N.Y. that want to bring it, bring it. But we ain't sing in' it. We bringin' drama. We gonna kill all you motherfuckers" and personal messages to Biggie Smalls such as: "Who Shot Me, but your punks couldn't finish it ... Five shots couldn't drop me!/ took it and smiled." Shakur also sent personal messages to East Coast grot1ps such as Mobb Deep and the entire staff of Bad Boy Entertainment In an East Coast supporters' eyes, this song sealed Shakurs fate, and it wasn't a pretty one. Reading all of this and remembering it, makes it difficult to remember the reason why Tupac Shakur's death was a bad thing. Then the light shines through; regardless of the insults that were thrown. the egos that were hurt, and the threats that were issued, a human being died. Friends will mourn, family members will cry, and a mother will ask, "Why?". Is it appropriate to inform this mother who has just lost her only son who had lived just 25 years, that he died oecause he was a West Coast rapper who couldn't keep his mouth shut? Maybe the East Coast had nothing to do with his death. Perhaps it was a random act of violence or maybe it was someone from a rival West Coast neighborhood. It is tnot important at this point who did it. Right now the concern must be about how we will react. A rapper is dead. A man raised in a poor urban neighborhood rose above the welfare and discrimination that is well known to urban youth of all races, and !became a successful and wealthy entertainer. A young and healthy African- American man was once again shot down. A human being has. been murdered. Is it time for the East Coast to throw a party because the "king" of the West Coast, a rival, has fallen down dead? It is time to come together and mourn. Not neces- sarily for the man, but for his mother and for the fact that we live in a society which finds joy in a man's death. We all are members of a society in which it is a rare occurrence for a young man, of any race, who was raised in America's !ghettos, to break into wealth and success. It is time to mourn the fact that those who are "brothers" in an art form that has struggled to be accepted in main- stream America and fought for notoriety in American culture, have begun to fight among themselves. They have fallen victim to a problem that has plagued America since the Civil War. Instead of being able to stand as one, we fight our comrades iust to prove who is best. In the song, "Hit Em' Off', Thpac Shakur stated: "I let niggers know it's onfor life." !Well then Tupac, maybe now it too can end. Opinion 5 • The smoke signals say: "Smokers, move on!" BY KENT ANDERSON NEWS EDITOR magic dragons. But, for an overall solution, education is the key. The smoking issue recently reared its smoldering, ash and orange ember head at the latest College Forum meeting on October 15. It seems that the non-smokers are a little upset with some of the smokers' habits The smokers need to be aware that some of their actions are unacceptable to the majority, so they need to respect others a little more than they do now, and, yes, some smokers, quite a few, in fact, are courteous. At the same time, there must be a firm bond of around campus. Though smoking is not permit- . ted anywhere in any of the buildings, the non-smokers are apparently deter- mined to push the smokers further away, not even allowing them their little huddle puffs at the building en- trances, like the US government of old, telling the Indians to keep going, move onto that nice little reservation over there. Wait, that land is too close to the land we want, so move away a little more. It should be no surprise that the smokers group together at the build- ing entrances - they feel like they have to circle the wagons, prepare for an assault by the Community College Custer, who will probably never have What Forum? What issue? cooperation between the faculty and the student smokers, who need to speak up if they want to protect their rights. 'Fhe only way smokers can ensure that they get a fair deal is to speak up, yell, if necessary, but get involved. Also, faculty should make the student body aware of major issues like smoking and parking when these items are to be addressed at the Col- lege Forum. · And no, informing the Student Senate is not enough. Awareness of issues of this mag- nitude should be spread far and wide, with the help of the Senate, of course, but why were so few students aware of the Forum session that was to dis- a last stand. The smokers will, in the end, always lose. . cuss the college's smoking policy? Sure, the Forum is open to students, who are, in fact, welcome to attend, but who knew? ' Seriously, the smokers could, to accommodate those of us who like breathing clean air, move their little black lung lounging further from the buildings. Truly, I am a non-smoker, but my view has always been that if the smoke is not being blown into my face or clogging my immediate atmosphere, puff away, little If the smokers had known about this policy discus-' sion, I don't doubt that some would have chosen to attend and voice their opinions. Everyone, including the non-smokers, should have been involved, or was the' Community College Custer afraid of a last stand? \N\\,,., ~s ca,~L C1.1~,o~ ~~ V"-? \N\,\,:..~ ~~ ~L~~ N.,,0.SR ~ "i=o~ \)~? -'N~,._.,. ~s '60-& 'C>oLE' 't»Ne. ~o~ \)S,? ~e. 'No~'-'EV ,o ,w,..~e c ... ~ ll.~o °'~e.~ ~oC\.>c~s ~~£~, ~r:> ~e.'s ~t> 1.:/? 'fbQ. ovit. ~,&,\.,.,; ~ o"\)a;?_ ~ ~E.A.~~ Now. By Scott Bateman .... co co a, Give credit where credit is due:: By KENT ANDERSON NEWS EDITOR There are a wide range of reli- gions tha} exist or did exist. Each one is dif~erent, some monotheistic, some multi theistic and, though each one carriJs its own view of life and death, all have a fundamental objec- tive: granting answers and power to those who follow a certain perspec- tive or dogma. When some people have ques- tions, problems, or situations that require extra insight, they turn to their religion. Faith in divine things gives some people the strength of will and morality to overcome the odds. But, why not look to yourself for that strength? Why not look to yourself for the qualities to define your moral fiber, to define your cour- age of will? It's easy to do, to look up into the vast night sky, close your eyes, genuflect, and pray to a celestial en- tity for the power to find the answers . to your problems. Then, when the resolution comes, even if it was your own actions that brought it about, the attribution of the deed goes to god, who, surely,gaveyou the power to surmount your obstacle. Why not give yourself credit? Humans lack faith in themselves, faith in their abil- ity to define and conquer this cha- otic, nasty world of riddles and pain. Whose hand lifted the stone? It was a human hand. Whose words closed the deal? They were words from a human, one of those flawed, emotional puzzles that, despite their failings, seem to get the job done. It cannot be said that faith is a bad thing, yet believing in a religion, a god or gods, that fails to allow for the magnificent potential of the hu- man mind by placing the defining qualities of the unknown in divine hands can be dangerous, divisive, limiting, and blind. It takes only a glance through a newspaper to see the explosive con- sequences when two religions col- lide. What if the warring factions about the world believed in a "reli-· gion" that was open to every per-: spective known to man? What if: . there were a form of faith that was,, , essentially, open - ended, a form of · faiththatwasunfetteredinitscapac- , - ity to grow and change? This "reli-: gion" would not impose itself upon: those who rejected it, it would not ambush you and· stick a volume of ' its dogma in your face, attempting to control your beliefs by approaching you somewhere you cannot av oid, thus forcing you to face them. , And, because it allows for ' : · change, because it can transcend - barriers without any limits on its vision, and because it unifies all, ' brings everyone, no matter the color, nationality or perspective, under one definition, it would not profoundly divide the world. This "religion" exists, actually. Right now, how- ever, it is unrealized. It's called Hu- manity. Letitlive, andgiveyourself, ' - ', not a god or gods, the credit for living. Photos s T u D E N T By Lyz Huffman With the start of the new season, how do you feel about playing in the new Park Arena? by s Mike Nunneley s "It's going to be cool, because I think there will be a lot more _ people that will come to the games."BODHI WATTS "Really exciting just having a whole new building around." TRENT DUNCAN, LUMBERJACK GUARD/ FORWARD "Very excited, it's going to be a great experience. I'm really looking foward to it." MARISA STOPPA, LADY JACK FORWARD "I feel it's alright. ... " They put a lot of money into it." . EMANUEL HARE, LUM- BERJACK FORWARD "I° think it's good that it's attached to the Wellness Cen- ter, and it's going to be a nice · meeting place for basketball games. "KRISTIN IIlGGINS p E A K