Pembroke Hill High School - Raider Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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ln contemplation of a fruit-fly one C2,3,4. . .Q realizes that their eyes are a multitude of silverfish-like reflections, perhaps dwelling on the seamy lewdities of solubility equilibria. My work here in the department of has been, will be, should be, something of a green, growing thing bearing rather blue and orange fruit.I look at the bluely psychotic progress sketch, when my mind comes to the brink of, the teeter-tottering edge of that wonderful circular file, in the sky or the earth, de- pending on where our sympathies lie. A green banana can be extremely potent eating fone of our editors has forsworn them foreverj which brings to mind fand soulj the depravities of God and country and bandannas and bicycles and the death of Willy Loman, may the Almighty rest his soul, of hills and valleys and books, and men, and the Chase-Manhattan Bank. In terms of a bank, solid orange dirt with gaping holes manu- factured courtesy ofthe Chipmunk Freemason's Club at no cost whatsoever to political andfor social institutions.I think of --' the wonderful sense ofhumor displayed by the Pem-Day Cam- pus in masquerading as a school and Paul Klee, and Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley. fEveryone knows that if Oscar had lived before Klee then Beardsley would have written a serious novel about the Wonders of Life on Earthj In the in- visible side of the American Profile, the prolific dandy-dandy lion-lion raging about, eating of the flesh of sidewalks. But, Rosseau, Thoreau, Cocteau, wedged in between the Cross- roads of America by a one-legged flamingo, know. Nemo, Nihi, the Masked Avenger would and still does be- lieve in the actual beauty of four years in the whole hole, wholly sacred depot of one's preference. And God said: let there be light, and theirs was light, or at least lighter than mine. Of course the grass is green- er and greener and greener and greener, and may it always smell of DDT and technological death. As for life, I pulsate, therefore, am I? And as the Good Book says, reading Marxist literature can really get one in trouble. So, in view of the previous future, as one cannot tell the water from the steam of the trees from the bushes, or the right from the left, confusion sets in? But take solace in that age-old adage when thinking of Biafra in depressing terms, anything more than a mouthful is wealthy. God bless us all. Yours for the Raider, Pem-Day, and other various divine and profane accouterments of life in our times, James D. Smith People shocked, horrified, and challenged by the various movements for freedom that surfaced in the 1960's can now say, 4'That was productive era, occasionally we need to be challenged. Q yet after all, nothing has changed. The status quo has been maintained: the middle class remains as mediocre as ever, the upper class as opposed to change, the government as bureaucratic, the intellectual as stuffy for trendy, as the case may bel, and each more unassailable in its absurd pronouncements. A much talked-about content- ment has returned especially to the Pem-Day-Sunset Hill community, a contentment based on complacency rather than on any kind of productive action and reaction. At this point I overstep my bounds. As a white person I will speak of blacks. The American black person at this point in history seems to be facing major problems with vast repercus- sions. People of my age must remember the end of Reconstruction was less than four generations ago.With our very limited historical perspective we might remember the summer of riots or the death of Martin Luther K.ing,J r. But it can hardly be said that we were actively aware of these events and it certainly cannot be said that we could discriminate enough to formulate valid conclusions. Any thoughts most probably are stereo- typed based on biased perceptions. What I am saying is simply that most people, all of 18 years ofage, do not have enough experience to draw valid, comprehensive conclusionsg keep an open mind on what I am say- ing. The black man of the late 1960's was a man at the end of his rope screaming, Notice me. A

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L I desperate man. But all that has been smoothed over now, everything is still O.K. He is still where 'he' be- longs, which for the most part is out of the awareness of our wonderfully 'content' institution of higher education. One of the uphill battles the black person has yet to fight, along with the complacency mentioned above, is a conflict in identity: individual identity versus communal identity. This is a difficulty not identified with problems any black might have in realizing his humanhood. The goal is humanhood for all people not by integration of black into white but by the creation of homogeneous society, devoid of race distinction. I firmly believe that before I am white, or middle class, or American, I am a person. Where smaller groups of blacks are concemed there seems to be a unity, a brotherhood, that exists, an en- viable built-in identity based on their common blackness. But is that more beneficial or detrimental? Is it passing or lasting? Certainly it is beneficial, and needed, in fighting the 'devil white man,' and it is hopefully lasting. But this unity is also limiting. There is ametaphorical ball and chain hooked onto the black who is not all consumed with his peopleis common social situation. In this historical period it is the peculiar posi- tion of the white person to be able to concentrate on oneis self, to pick and choose philosophies, to divorce himself from the people around him. The black person, on the other hand, is not allowed to place personal goals and philosophy above the needs of the black community. A It is obviously my belief that any person's realization and pursuit of their autonomy is more beneficial to the culture of the race than the complete abandormient of his individuality. Certainly some people's in- dividuality or autonomy is established through direct help and contact with people. But, the person not formed in the pursuit of that kind of direct help and contact where as it may be very helpful, should not al- low a heightened race-consciousness to rule his life. In the end the decision is up to the individual, and not open to review by others. All of this, of course, isn't to say a time doesn't come when activities must be sus- pended to deal with a clear and present crisis. This is very simply a difficult time. Still fighting the prejudice of many white people when race-consciousness is found, the black man is faced with a fight to remain auton- omous. It is my belief that race-consciousness is important, especially in the case of the black person who as he found his consciousness began to break from the stigma of the many years of bondage. But, as argued, hypersensitive race-consciousness is a block to the development of a person, and in this heightened form will draw racial distinctions in an even deeper fashion. Thus the ideal becomes not forced integration, but mutual acceptance of the other's stance, devoid of racial distinction. The most important facet of being here is, above all, the people. We have a rather interesting assortment of thought lines--a few who are racial provincials, a very few radicals on either the social or political fringe. We also have the usual scholastic alignrnents--jocks, hairs, and that great formless blob of don't knows or not too sures . Along with the people come their attitudes. There are those who do care about their fellow human beings, and there are those who are concerned with little more than how their favorite sport is or what college they get into. Obviously, not everyone's motives are this clear-cut, however, one can sense the orientation of someone's mentality in a particular direction at a particular time. There is also the school's relation to the overall community. What relation? The great majority of us probably is very isolated from parts of the city not identical to our own. I believe that we should try to keep this from happening. We should attempt to reach beyond the phony barriers set up by the society that many Pem-Day whites are a part of and come to terms with our city and those people who happen to be outside the Pem-Day social circle. If we are to lead, then we must be aware of whom we are leading. As for the school itself, I feel that the school climate is as agreeable as I could find in another school, maybe better than most others. I do find myself involved in many acitvities here, which can be very gratifying. After all is said and done, what it boils down to is this: I think that Pem-Day is a good school. Our problem is that we need a little more in the school to community relations department. By the way, what- ever happened to tutoring? Sandy Smith