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Friday, November 18, 1983/The Battalion/Page 3
'"Nuclear war film is center of controversy
by Rusty Roberts
Battalion Staff
The controversial airing of
the made-for-TV movie “The
ay After” has area psycholog
ists and military scientists won
dering whether the program
should be shown during prime
time — if at all.
“The Day After” depicts what
happens to the mid-America
v icartland around Kansas City,
do., after a quick exchange of
^ mdear missies by the United
itates and the Soviet Union.
Because of the graphic depic
tion of death and destruction in
■the movie, some psychologists
fear it may cause extremely
adverse affects on children and
adults who watch the program.
“The Day After,” which will
, |airSunday at 8 p.m., is preceded
iy disclaimers for parents with
hildren under the age of 12.
ABC has drawn much criticism
gruesomely realistic film,
cost more than $7 million
for the j_
which cost
and took three years to make.
In the program, which direc-
tor Nicholas Meyer calls
“punishing,” viewers are intro
duced to several middle class
families in the first hour, and
then watch them vaporized in
the final 68 minutes.
The carnage is excessive and
the make-up grotesque, yet
Meyer says his intent was not to
make the picture so horrifying
that it would be unwatchable.
But it is the explicit scenes
that are causing area psycholog
ists to seriously question the
affects the program could have
on its viewers.
Dr. Lenore Boyd, associate
professor of educational
psychology, says regardless of
the numerous disclaimers, kids
are going to watch it anyway.
“Kids have a strange mix of
fantasy and reality,” Boyd says,
“and this could cause some
problems in how they interpret
what they’re seeing. I’m not real
sure if they’ll get a shock like
adults think they will. It’ll de
pend on how the program is pre
sented.”
Dr. Emily Davidson, a Texas
A&M psychology professor says,
“Kids nave a hard time separat
ing fantasy and reality, even if
their parents tell them that it’s all
just make—up.”
Davidson says only those chil
dren 12 and older will be able to
follow the logical flow of the two-
hour program and understand
that it isn’t real. But, she said,
that’s no guarantee these chil
dren won’t still become emotion
ally upset.
“Even if it hasn’t happened,”
she says, “many young kids may
think it’ll happen in the next few
days. Their sense of immediacy
is much more intense than that
of adults.
“Children think the future is
the next two weeks, whereas
adults are able to plan years in
advance. Most kids even have
trouble thinking a few months
ahead.”
Davidson predicts some un
comfortable after-effects for
those who watch the program.
She says both adults and chil
dren who watch probably will
suffer from nightmares and
high anxiety.
Davidson says the other alter
native is not to watch the prog
ram or to simply turn it off if it
becomes unbearable.
Both Davidson and Boyd say
they’d rather the program not
air in a prime time slot because
of the harmful effects it could
have on children.
However, Dr. Michael Ash,
head of the educational psychol
ogy department, says he doesn’t
think the program will be a par
ticularly strong draw for chil
dren.
Dr. Roger Beaumont, a Texas
A&M history professor who spe
cializes in military affairs, says
the prime time slot doesn’t con
cern him as much as the political
implications the picture could
have.
Beaumont used the examples
of the 1938 crisis in Munich and
the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima
to illustrate today’s concerns ab
out nuclear arms.
“Its been 40 years since
Hiroshima,” he says, “and its
taken that long for public con
cerns about nuclear war to catch
up with the general public’s
understanding of the problem.”
Beaumont says too much
irony surrounds the question of
nuclear arms. He says America
is a short distance from making
plans to construct bombs that
are equal in power to nuclear
weapons, yet don’t emit the
harmful radiation. But, he says,
making the transition from the
nuclear realm to the non
nuclear realm is causing a
problem.
He also says the idea of nuc
lear weapons as deterrents is iro
nic because the weapons them
selves are so deadly and so crazy,
they act as their own control. He
says if the deterrents slack up,
then the shield drops and nuc
lear struggles continue.
Beaumont says the logic of in
ternational nuclear rivalry is
that one side’s defense weakens
and eventually collapses allow
ing the opposing side to “roll
back” to the use of conventional
weapons.
So were does this lead?
Beaumont refered to the
famous scientist whose experi
ments redefined the word
obliteration. He is Robert
Oppenheimer, who’s consi
dered “the father” of the atomic
bomb.
Oppenheimer once likened
the nuclear struggle to two scor
pions in a bottle. Each stings the
other and they both die.
Greyhound reschedules
with non-union drivers
by Maria Gautschy
Battalion Reporter
Greyhound buses began run
ning on a limited service basis in
Bryan and College Station
Thursday.
Although 12,700 members of
Ihe Amalgamated Transit Un-
| ion have oeen on strike since
Nov. 2, six Greyhound buses
driven by non-union drivers will
erve Bryan and College Station.
jack Weatherford, part own
er of the Bryan Greyhound bus
|rminal, says that although par-
|al service has been restored, it
kill take a while for people to
egin traveling by bus again.
empiHj Since the beginning of the
eoj^Mrike, Weatherford says he has
asak jlost 80 percent of his revenue
because people stopped travel-
ig and sending packages by
t(fiy
ianagii.
'Urtclt
dforiti
hileil)
acta
it's tin
idards
us.
Owners of the Bryan and
College Station bus terminals
make their money on commis
sion through freight shipping
and the sale of passenger tickets.
Both have contracts with Arrow
Trailways and Greyhound Bus
Lines.
Although the 10 Greyhound
buses have not been running, he
said, the five Arrow buses nave
been running as usual. Arrow
can provided more buses if
needed, but Weatherford says
passenger travel has been low
and that the buses have not been
full.
“Most people identify bus
travel with Greyhound and just
assume that no buses have been
running,” Weatherford said.
“Some people in the area have
even gone so far as to pick up
their packages in Houston,
rather then have them sent by
bus.”
Before the strike began, he
said, 65 percent of the freight
shipped to Bryan was from
Houston. He said that since the
strike, shipping has decreased to
15 percent.
“Something had to happen,”
he said. “I’ve just been waiting
for Greyhound to call me ana
tell me the buses are back in busi
ness.”
The company is losing money
because employees must be
payed even if no c
made, he said.
commission is
“The money is going to have
to come from somewhere and it
is going to be money we have
saved for something else, or will
have to borrow,” he said.
Two employees were layed
off at the Bryan terminal and
one employee was layed off at
the terminal in College Station.
“Believe me, no one ever wins
in a strike,” Weatherford said.
Turkey trot set
for Thanksgiving
by David Manning
Battalion Reporter
The health and physical
education department will
host the 14th annual Turkey
Trot race on Thanksgiving
Day at 8 a.m. beginning in
front of G. Rollie White Col-
Dr. John Chevrette, a phy
sical ecmcation professor, said
the run is a family-oriented
event.
“In the past, people have
brought their dogs, baby car
riages, and grandparents,” he
said. “Its a fun race.”
He said the Turkey Trot
race can be run, walked or a
combination of both.
This is not a competitive
run, but a run open to every
one, Chevrette said.
No prizes will be awarded.
but certificates of completion
will be given to all partici
pants, he said.
No registration or entry fee
is required to run in the three
mile race.
The emphasis of this race is
to start the Thanksgiving and
Christmas holidays off right,
Chevrette said.
“This is the time of year
when people eat a lot of food,”
he said. “The Turkey Trot will
hopefully give them a chance
to burn off some calories be
fore they eat.”
He said several hundred
people are expected to run in
the race — an increase over
last year since the Texas
A&M-Texas football game
will be at Kyle Field.
Chevrette said participants
should come already dressed
to run because the campus
locker rooms will be closed.
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TGURNELF
©o
The atmosphere is different
perfect for your favorite cocktail.
And what food! The menu is pure
temptation with a variety of selections •
Popular prices, too.
Discover Julie’s Place soon
607 Texas Avenue
(across from Texas A&M)
696-1427 |
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