le girls doing.. starving themselves?’’ dies have shown a high positive correlation be- 2en viewing pornographic material and committing ually aggressive acts. There certainly is not much Jistinguish Madonna’s videos form pornography, y the roles of subordination are reversed. ittle girls who admire Madonna might long to be like er and to possess her body. With eating disorders nd compulsive exercising on the rise, Madonna adds asoline to an already burning flame. he Canadian National Eating Disorders Information entre estimates that 10 percent of young women stween the ages of 14 to 25 have either full-fledged ting disorders or definite symptoms. In addition, omen with eating disorders out number men nine to 1e. Madonna is only exacerbating these statistics h her unnaturally toned body. She has fallen prey societal pressure while creating some pressure of rown -- the pressure to achieve the’ ’ideal’’ body. adonna is exploiting her body, perpetuating eating sorders, making oodles of money, and is proclaimed eminist. Something is seriously wrong with this uation. If we ‘‘deserve the best in life,’’ why settle her? ~ eright to fight back letter to the editor from the arlatan cks and stones may break my bones, but words can just as dangerous. {oderate fascist’’ David Irving is returning to wa Oct.6. Remember him? He’s the man who sthe Holocaust was a Jewish fabrication and that men are intellectually inferior to men. He’s the one 9 said ‘*Carleton students are cowards and fas- ' when he was not allowed to speak on campus irs ago. tpeople, his views are disgusting and degrad- most people, David Irving is simply wrong. hat were the issue, we could rest assured that ving could be free to speak wherever and he pleases, the public could challenge him end, truth would prevail. person would take the time and effort to listen to arguments on both sides, weigh the evidence, then decide whether there is any validity to his arguments. Will that really be the case? There will always be individuals who will point to his academic background as sufficient proof of his legitimacy: after all, is he nota published historian? Those individuals will ignore the fact that what he is saying now contradicts what he has written in his own books. It’s nota matter of people being swayed by his arguments, but by the letters after his name. Perhaps that would simply bea risk we’d have to take if he were talking about Sunday shopping or Triple A baseball. But he’s talking about people, and what he is Saying is putting people’s lives in danger. Irving is verbally attacking people: Jews and women. He is not the first to do so, and he won’t be the last. Demonstrations outside the halls where he has spoken in the past prove he has overwhelming opposition. But it is not a matter of majority rules. Can we, as people who have been fighting for the rights of women, for the rights of minorities, allow this man to foster hatred in anybody in the of freedom of speech? Can we take the risk if Irving’s presence in Ottawa convincing 50, 10, or even one person that violence against another person is okay? It goes beyond one man making outrageous state- ments. It is not an issue of some people being of- fended that David Irving thinks women can’t compose symphonies, or that gas chambers were used simply to kill lice in clothing. It is allowing this man to make these statements in a public forum which could en- courage somebody to take action on his words. I cannot, as a woman, as a member of a visible minor- ity, as acompassionate human being, support this man’sright to speak. I can’tsleep at night knowing I’m advocating his censorship. I can’t sleep at night knowing he’sconvincing people around me I haveno right to be here. Forget his right to freedom of speech-we have to fight for our right to exist. *note: If you would like to come and help write stories for campus women leave your mane and phone number orcome down on Friday afternoon. Quote of The Week ‘*don’t compromise yourself. You are all you've got.’’ Betty Ford. October 10. 1991 Page |7