Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesday, February 10, 1987
Opinion
'Amerika' reflects ignorance of patriotic public
The book First
Blood ended with
the death of the
main character,
John Rambo.
Those who saw
the movie version
weren’t so lucky.
Rambo lived to
make another
movie, this one
about killing Com-
munists in Viet-
fun, Rambo and his ilk have done more
damage to U.S.-Soviet relations than
Strategic Defense Initiative, MX missiles
and the B-1B bomber combined.
Soviets have made an art out of uncov
ering skeletons, no matter how minute
the closet may seem.
Loren
Steffy
nam. And in the fall, Rambo will return
yet again to kill Communists in Afghani
stan. Lucky us.
It was only a matter of time before
the Soviets fought back. The only dif
ference is that while the anti-Commu-
nist propaganda in the United States is
based on fiction, the anti-American
propaganda in the Soviet Union is based
on painful facts — specifically, the
American occupation of Soviet territory
after World War I.
Not-so-gratifying photos and mem
orabilia of the American occupation are
going to be exhibited on the 70th anni-
As with any profitable film, imitations
have sprung up along the way. To mea
sure dime-store culture against itself,
1986 saw more Ramboesque movies
than it did Steven King novels. With all
the money in red-bashing movies, it isn’t
surprising that television is getting in on
a piece of the action.
Next week, ABC will air the much-
talked-about and much-criticized mini
series “Amerika.” The series deals with
futuristic American society under the
control of the Soviet Union. As you
might guess, it’s not flattering from the
Soviet perspective.
Allied troops intervened on the side
of the White Russian Army during the
last few months of World War I and
stayed until 1920 to stop Germany from
obtaining military supplies in Russian
ports, and, historians speculate, to revi
talize the Eastern Front and thereby di
vert Germany’s attention from the west.
After the war, Americans deployed in
Russia supported anti-Bolshevik forces
during the Russian civil war.
It’s a part of our history that most
Americans have forgotten, or at least
would like to. The Soviets only drag it
out of the propaganda closet when su
perpower relations are poor.
While Americans may view such en
tertainment as good, clean, patriotic
Most historians agree that the Allied
intervention served little purpose and
has little historical significance. But the
versary of the Russian Revolution. The
state archives from Khabarovsk also are
part of the exhibit and include an ac
count of the capture and rape of a
group of girls by American troops. Ap
parently, the victims were to be exe
cuted, but instead were rescued the next
morning by a partisan detachment. The
Americans were so mad that they tor
tured and killed some miners instead, or
so the story goes.
the form of threats to the ABC News
bureau in Moscow and direct “Ameri-
ka”-bashing. Perhaps the Soviets are
getting all flustered over nothing. After
all, as any American will tell you, it’s
only a movie.
“It’s only a movie” doesn’t quell Soviet
fears. Film as art is seen as an expression
of opinion, philosophy or, especially in
the Soviet Union, dogma. When seen
through Soviet eyes, Rambo becomes a
statement of American attitude. The
immense popularity of not only the film
but spin-off merchandise backs up the
Kremlin’s perceptions about how the
United States views the Soviet Union.
Leonid Kravchenko, deputy chairman
of the Soviets’ radio and TV agency,
told Time magazine that he is in favor
of showing “Amerika” in the Soviet
Union.
viet movies. Censorship of ideas-
matter how ridiculous and propagani
oriented — may be a part of “Amerih
but not America. The right to be stu
is protected by the First Amendment
Discriminating viewers, howevei
By
A cadet
Texas A&I
jorni roon
should see these films for what theyaii .even years
and impose the ultimate forin
censorship — lack of approval. Instea
commie-bashing on the silver screenb
become big business.
Four ca
^orps-style
ias fallen f
In the fa
tudents w
ABC undoubtedly is countingontts reaped inj
“It would be useful if Soviet TV view
ers were shown how public opinion in
the U.S.A. is formed,” Kravchenko said
in the Feb. 9 issue.
He was no angel
No matter how many grains of salt
you take this with, the Soviets have
made their point. Our horror stories
come from our imagination, but the
Kremlin can flip open a history book
and find a basis, however flimsy, for
some substantial America-bashing.
But this glimpse of social trends
through film is not reciprocated. Few
Soviet films are viewed in the United
States. We are unfamiliar with most of
their folk heros and legends. We should
be watching their version of “Amerika”
as intensely as they will be watching
ours.
U.S.-Soviet tensions can’t be resolved
with the gritting of teeth and the pulling
of triggers. It takes the kind of dialogue
Sylvester Stallone could never mem
orize — diplomacy.
public’s curiosity, piqued by the con
versy “Amerika” has spawned,
mini-series is being shown during
rating-sensitive weeks of the Febrw
sweeps because the network couldusti
boost. But before ABC executives sir
singing “God Bless ‘Amerika,’ ” fcl
should realize that America’s inf®
lion with anti-Communist fantasii
must end sooner or later.
What we try to tell the Sovietsw
must understand ourselves. Mowed
popular and profitable RamboismsEj
be, they are still only movies. As long
the money keeps pouring throughW
office windows, the curtains
close on on Rambo and his commieHl
ing copycats. The best we can hope!:|
is a long intermission.
To truly solve our differences*
the Soviets — to ensure there neveris
Amerika, a U.S.-occupied Russia
worse, a nuclear wasteland unoccupa
ble by either side — we must confrc
reality and not wallow in celluloid fat-
tasy
How far
|o protect
hemselves
redesigi
John T.
upervisor
“The pe
one some
ut the wi
hink it’s a
indow.”
One ca
lown a ro
Oedsheets
ured, nor
ho fell w
indow to
Idle hang
indow. I
a rupturec
I saw the movie,
“Peggy Sue Got
Married,” re
cently. Good
movie. Peggy Sue
(Kathleen Turner)
goes back in time
to her senior year
in high school
(1960) and tries to
do things differ
ently, such as not
getting married to
Lewis
Grizzard
up-
her dolt of a husband, played by Nicolas
Cage.
There’s just this one thing. During a
scene where Peggy Sue and her high
school chums are at an unchaperoned
party, somebody suggests, “Let’s turn
off the lights and put on some makeout
music.”
The record selected was some
tempoed ditty by Jimmy Clanton.
Absolutely wrong.
I also was in high school in 1960 and
when my generation wanted makeout
music, it always selected the same artist.
Johnny Mathis.
You stayed with Maurice Williams
and the Zodiacs, you twisted with
Chubby Checker, you went to the hop
with Danny and the Juniors, but you
made out with Johnny Mathis.
I suppose I should define the term
“making out,” which now is referred to
as “sucking face,” I am told.
How disgusting.
When couples made out back in the
60s they held it — with conjparatively
few instances of going further — to a
fondle here and a fondle there and
maybe a little hickey-giving on the neck.
Lights are low, she’s gorgeous and
you casually stroll over to the record
player and slip on Johnny Mathis doing
“Chances Are,” or “Until the Twelfth of
Never,” and then you dive on each
other.
The only couple I knew who “got into
trouble” back then was Sandra Dee and
Troy Donahue in a movie here or there
and I still don’t believe Sandra Dee
knew exactly what she was doing. Troy
Donahue, I could never trust.
Kathy Sue Loudermilk was the one
who taught me the ropes of making out
to Johnny Mathis.
I was at her house one night for what
I thought was going to be another game
of Monopoly and staring at Kathy Sue’s
sweater, the one they retired when she
graduated from high school.
After Kathy Sue’s parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Loudermilk, went to bed, however,
Kathy Sue, whose Evening in Paris per
fume had intoxicated me with passion
(my nose hairs were aflame, I later
would recall), she put on her Johnny
Mathis album and took me to heaven’s
gate.
I would awaken the next morning
with severely bruised lips, four hickeys
on my neck, and a great deal more
knowledge of the intimate workings of
certain fasteners such as straps and
buckles.
Somehow, after that, I lost much of
the previous interest I had held in build
ing model airplanes and achieving the
rank of Eagle Scout.
Or, as my boyhood friend and idol,
Weyman C. Wannamaker, Jr., a great
American, said, “Once you’ve been got
hold of by Kathy Sue, baseball seems
like a terrible waste of time.”
Kids today don’t stop at simple mak
ing out as much as we did, and that’s a
serious problem in this country.
But you can’t blame it on Johnny Ma
this. He stopped singing background
for youthful lovers a long time ago,
when young love was still at least some
what synonymous with innocence.
Chances are we may never see the
likes of either again.
Copyright 1986, Cowles Syndicate
But so far, outrage has come only in I’m not advocating a ban on anti-So-
Loren Steffy is a journalism gradme
and editor for The Battalion.
HCVSlWfW
| A form
the Higher
ident Franl
|was sent oi
over the w<
■or,” the pi
In a Moi
ate meetin
apologized
tended to
faculty sup
“This le
the faculty
'act go to
ror, and oi
as intend
Senator Bentsen’s
$10,000
Breakfast Club
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Loren Steffy, Editor
Marybeth Rohsner, Managing Editor
Mike Sullivan, Opinion Page Editor
Jens Koepke, City Editor
Jeanne Isenberg, Sue Krenek, New s Editors
Homer Jacobs, Sports Editor
Tom Ownbey, Photo Editor
Editorial Policy
The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper oper
ated as a conununity service to Texas A&M and Bryan-C.ollege Sta
tion.
Opinions expressed in 7Vie Battalion are those of the editorial
hoard or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions
ofTexas A&M administrators, faculty or the Board of Regents.
7 lie Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students
in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Depart
ment of Journalism.
7 lie Battalion is published Monday through Friday during
Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holiday and examination
periods.
Mail subscriptions are $17.-l-4 per semester. $34.(>2 pet school
sear and $:l(i.44 per full year. Advertising rales furnished on re
quest.
Our address: 7 lie Battalion. Department of Journalism. Texas
A&M L niversity. College Station, TX 7784:1-4 111.
Second class postage paid tit College Station. TX 7784:1.
POS TMAS TER: Send address changes to I he Battalion. De
partment of Journalism, Texas A&M L niversitv. College Station
TX 7784:1-4 111.
Mail Call
Dateless
in bread, will there be enough left for us to build the hell
outta bonfire?
EDITOR:
Lara Pelham ’89
accompanied by three signatures
After reading “Attention” column in the Jan. 29
edition of At Ease, I could not restrain myself from
responding to a few remarks in Melanie Perkins’column. Have a heart
She stated that she is bothered at not being asked for dates.
Then she states that occasionally she must swallow her
pride and lower herself to ask out a guy only when she
needs to have a date to keep up appearances in front of
her friends. It is pretty sickening to me to read Perkins’
female chauvinistic opinions.
EDITOR.
She expects guys to have to swallow their pride and
make all the moves. Does she think that guys don’t get
nervous when they ask out a girl? She “hates” to ask out
guys, but she expects to be asked out regardless. Perkins
also states that most of her dates are freshmen and
occasionally sophomores. She says, “they don’t matter.”
Well, I am a freshman and so are many of my friends, and
we all agree that we matter. After reading Perkins’
opinions, it’s obvious to me why she doesn’t have a boyf
riend.
Greg Buford ’90
Knot good
EDITOR:
After reading Paula Vogrin’s amusing Feb. 2 column
on the ingredients of chicken nuggets, we were prompted
to share what we discovered in a late-night rap session in
our dorm suite. Upon examining a package of Mrs. Baird’s
Less reduced calorie wheat bread, we saw that it “contains
no wood fiber.” This seems to imply that some bread does.
If other brands do contain wood fibers, we would like to
know about it. Besides not wanting to eat wood, we are also
concerned with another thing: if they put too much wood
Yes, Richard Fox, life does go on after death. But for
those people who have experienced the loss of a loved one |
that is the one thing that is most difficult to accept. To
think that life will go on after a loved one has died is an
almost unbearable fact. Yes, planes still fly and trainsstill
roll and people die all the time, but can’t we hold a
memorial service for our fellow Aggies without low flying
jets and trains disrupting the service? Can’t we have
enough compassion to allow people to remember their
loved ones in silence in hopes that someone will see to it
that we are not disturbed when it’s our turn to grieve?
Maybe stopping air traffic altogether is not the answer. Ait
traffic could be diverted to keep planes from flying
directly over the campus while the ceremony is in progress
Life goes on, but do we have to shove this reality downttie
throats of those people who are trying to hold on to
whatever they have left by allowing planes and trains to
disrupt the Silver Taps ceremony? Can’t we be kind and
compassionate enough to be silent while a memorial
service is going on? I’m sure you would want that if it were
your loved one being remembered.
Jan Jentsch ’89
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorials
serves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make ever] effort to* 1
tain the author’s intent. Each letter must be signed and must include the cM' 1 ''
tion^i^resMm(helephonwiwnlm^)ph^riteT^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\