2 Opinion
Friday, February 1, 1991
The Battalion Opinion Page Editor Jennifer Jeffus 845-33:
Stop pushing, let children grow up slowly
W,
hat does it mean
to be spoiled in the 1990s? Sure, the
United States has its ample dose of
brats still around, but would you
characterize them as "spoiled?"
It seems I rarely see what not so long
ago was a staple in America — spoiled
children. Many prominent child
professionals nave noted lately what
they perceive to be a startling societal
trend toward rushing our youth to
grow up. In the words of David Elkind:
today's children are the "hurried
children."
To some this prospect seems rather
innocuous. Others only faintly sense a
cause for alarm, for what is lost but a
few aimless years of play? I think,
however, we should oe acutely
disturbed by this condition and the
spectral implications it has for our
society.
The last few generations of
Americans had been brought up in a
society that fostered "self-expression"
through allowing children to indulge in
their impulses without much
discipline. But today's society
pressures its youth to achieve, succeed
and please.
It is not the lack of pressure of earlier
g enerations, but a new pressure to
urry and grow up.
Stress has been defined as an intense
life event or "chronic environmental
situation that causes disequilibrium."
Of course, we all know a certain degree
Andy
Yung
Columnist
of normal stress is healthy.
Today, however, children are
exposed everyday to confusing family
structures, television violence and
gratuitous sex, deaths of relatives and
close friends, geographical relocations,
drugs and more. Therefore, I do not
believe we ought to stress our children
any more than necessary.
Today's child has become the
unwilling, unintended victim of
overwhelming stress — stress arising
from rapid, bewildering social change
and constantly rising expectations.
Case in point, people's reaction to
stiffening global competition by
pressuring our young: "How are we to
compete with the Japanese if our
children do not attend school 250 days
a year or learn to read by five?" But
while we expect ever more, the
children are doing all they can just to
cope and survive, never fully adapting.
Today the family whose mother and
father both work — presuming it's not
a single-parent household — serves as
quite the exception. Children often are
whisked off to the daycare center in the
morning, attend school and come
home to exhausted parents. This is
very understandable considering
economic realities, but there are
characteristics of today's family that are
less excusable.
Today's parents are subject to
extreme competition, demands, role
changes and personal and professional
uncertainties over which they exert no
control. Parents want to seek release
from stress whenever they can, and
usually the one place they are sure to
be in control is their home.
If child rearing means more work
and stress, then by hurrying children
to grow up — or better yet, treating
them as adults — parents hope to
remove a portion of their burden of
worry ana anxiety. They reason, "If the
kids can cook part of dinner, how
about letting tnem cook the whole
thing" or "If they can clean their room,
how about tidying up the whole
house?"
But beyond manual labor, by treating
children like adults, parents can
convince themselves that the children
are independent and less needing of
attention.
Furthermore, after Sputnik's launch
and the Civil Rights movement's
unveiling of poor performance of our
disadvantaged youth, early academic
achievement became paramount to this
nation. Hence, incredible
contemporary pressures still exist on
children who <ao not intellectually or
otherwise achieve fast enough or high
enough.
The signs of precociousness are
everywhere. Look to their dress. Our
mothers probably were not allowed to
wear sheer stockings or makeup until
their teens. Our fathers, too, had
certain clothing rites of passage.
Clothing sets children apart from
adults in both sexes.
Today, though, there is an array of
adult "costumes" along with a wide
choice of accompanying postures
(modeled by commercials) available to
children ... Christian Dior this or Guess
that and tight jeans, Nikes and leather
mini-skirts to boot.
Studies convincingly show that
when children dress like adults they
are more likely to act as adults do.
The media, too, including music.
I oday, however, children are
exposed everyday to confusing
family structures, television
violence and gratuitous sex,
deaths of relatives and close
friends, geographical relocations,
drugs and more.
books, film and television, more and
more portray youths as precocious.
They increasingly have presented
children in explicit sexual or
manipulative situations. The movie
"Little Darlings" comes to mind. In this
film, teenage girls at summer camp are
in competition to see who will "lose
their virginity" first.
Television and movies promote not
only casual teenage sex but also adult
language and relationships and the
wearing of adult clothes. To my mind,
all the consequences of our
institutional (schools, media, family
societal mores) hurrying of children-
negative.
Children who are told to act like
adults feel betrayed by society when
they find that driving, smoking and
drinking are denied them untila
certain age. More than 50 percent of
teenage girls have premarital sex. Tit
is an upward trend. Some 10 percent
all teenage girls (13 to 19 years old)gf|
pregnant each year, and the sharpest
increase is in the girls younger-than-
category!
Our children cannot cope with sue
stresses, and so they seek to escape
their reality through cults, suicide,
drugs, crime, violence, sex ... the
statistics speak for themselves.
Many of us soon will be parents, if
we are not already. We must be willir:
to be the architects of a different soda
structure. Would it be so bad to
postpone those grown-up-type clothe
and makeup for a few years more?
You can regulate the movies andT
shows your younger children view.
And all of us can discuss the day's
events lovingly with our children afte:
we come home from work, without
asking, "What did you accomplish?"
Be a good role model and do not
worry so much about early
achievement. A child is to be looked
upon as a gift, not a bother. Expect tk
life you live now to later reflect on yot:!
child's.
Andy Yung is a junior political sciena
major.
Awkward relationship
LI.S. media make Saudis wary
As I always have, I spent this past
Christmas break in Dhahran, Saudi
Arabia.
My family has lived there since 1973,
and I consider Dhahran home. This
time, however, Dhahran was not the
same quiet oil town — it was the center
of a war zone.
Every highway was packed with
military convoys delivering another
piece of the allied war machine.
Even the beach where I used to scuba
dive was now a training ground for
Navy rescue teams.
Along with the world's military
forces came another intruder into the
Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia — the
American mass media.
The Saudis rarely allowed foreign
media into the kingdom, but America's
demand for coverage could not be
denied.
All three major networks, CNN and
the Associated Press established
temporary bureaus in a Dhahran hotel.
Toward the end of December, I was
hired by NBC and witnessed first hand
the developing relationship between
the media and Saudia Arabia.
America's hyperactive media and the
conservative kingdom were complete
strangers before Saddam Hussein
arranged their marriage.
Saudi Arabia's own daily
newspapers and nightly news are not
examples of a free press. Though not
officially censored, they tiptoe around
sensitive issues and usually praise the
government.
Before the gulf crisis erupted in
August, a Saudi television newscast
included video clips of King Fahd
greeting visitors at an airport or
dedicating a new hospital named in his
honor.
Suddenly, everything from Bedouin
goat herders to my old elementary
school gym teacher was exposed to the
whole world.
For the average citizen, this
journalistic invasion was going too far.
They even let Geraldo into the country.
The Saudi government began to place
Matthew
Goff
Reader’s Opinion
restrictions on the press.
They created the Joint Information
Bureau (JIB) and placed it under allied
military control. Currently, all military
information passes through the JIB and
reporters must have permission to
cover local interests such as goat
herders.
The censorship does not exist
because the Saudis are trying to hide
something, but because they have a
duty to two interests.
The first is the Islamic world. Saudi
Arabia is the custodian of Islam's
holiest shrines and must keep them
sacred. The filming of a mosque is
almost always forbidden.
Second, they attempt to shelter the
armed forces. The JIB makes it very
clear what they do not want the enemy
to hear on the nightly news coverage.
They fear that some journalists may
report information that is potentially
dangerous to allied troops.
Such restrictions are alien to the
American press covering the war.
Often, the crew I worked with
expressed the frustrations of being
closely monitored.
At times, the reporters grew restless
because the stories concerning the
military were being spoon fed to them
and shared by every news outlet.
Hungry for stories they could call their
own, many reporters lurked in places
like grocery stores, softball fields and
the airport.
From August until Jan. 15, every
aspect of life in Dhahran was a
potential story. Now that the war has
started, the boredom has turned to
exhilaration as some reporters prepare
to cover the front lines while others
remain in Dhahran dodging Scud
missiles.
The possibility of war was the
element that magnetically drew
American media to this current hot
spot —not goat herders, grocery stores
or overweight elementary gym
teachers.
After five months of preparation,
some reporters may have been relieved
to hear the first sounds of war.
The people of Dhahran will be
relieved when the war ends and a trip
to town no longer requires chemical
warfare protection. They also will be
glad to see the media abandon the once
private and often ignored kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
My parents and the rest of Dhahran
rely on nervous American reporters
standing on the roof of a familiar hotel
to narrate the story of the Scud and the
Patriot.
Without correspondents like CNN's
Charles Jaco, the frightening blasts that
rattle the homes of Dhahran could only
leave the residents guessing about
what was happening in their own city.
The relationship between America's
media and Saudi Arabia is awkward,
yet the demand for its success is too
great for it to fail.
Matthew Goff is a junior journalism
major.
Along with the world’s military forces came another intruder into
the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia — the American mass media.
The Saudis rarely allowed foreign media into the kingdom, but
America’s demand for coverage could not be denied. At times, the
reporters grew restless because the stories concerning the military
were being spoon fed to them and shared by every news outlet. 55
Mail Call
The Battalion is interested In bearing from its readers and welcomes ali letters to the editor. Pteut
Indude name, classification, address and phone number on aS letters. The editor reserves the
to edit letters for style and length. Because of ttmfted space, shorter letters have a better chancttf
appearing. There Is, however, no guarantee tetters will appear. Letters may be brought to 216 Reel
McDonald or sent to Campus Mali Stop 1111.
Keep an open mind
EDITOR:
Since the Middle East conflict has escalated to war, there have been many |
discussions between pro- and anti-war advocates. Considering the magni .
hide of the issue, it is understood that passions are deep on both sides. How-"
ever, insulting one's agrumentative opponent is uncalled for.
Today, I was told I was "naive and irrational" for my opinions concerning
the gulf war. Normally, I would not be insulted at being called naive, but!
since the beginning of the conflict I have spent much time reading informa
tion and propaganda for both sides of the issue. I also have engaged in intelli
gent discussions with members of the opposing view. I have found these dis
cussions helpful in gaining information and understanding opposing ideas.
The person with whom I attempted to discuss this with continued to call
my ideas naive, irrational and shallow. Had he offered me the depth of his
convictions and listened to mine, we both would have emerged that much
richer. Americans still here must make a concerted effort not to begin a war
among ourselves. Protests are needed to make others aware of the anti-war
philosophy among serving other purposes, and pro-war rallies are an impor-,
tant factor for other reasons. But it is important that each side listen fairly to
the opposition without insults or violence. I am sorry my fellow student was
unable to open himself to ideas conflicting with his own. I was not asking him
to agree with me — just to listen.
Kristin J. Frederiksen '92
Get more organized!
EDITOR:
Last night I had a disappointing experience. I planned to watch the free
movie "L.A. Story" at Rudder after reading a posted sign at the ticket office.
The sign claimed there were 400 tickets left to be passed out at 7 p.m. Arriving
at 6:30 p.m., I was behind approximately 100 people. By 7 o'clock, that num
ber had more than tripled. Then a guy comes out at 7:20 p.m. to tell everyone
there was a misprint on the posted sign and only 32 to 40 tickets remained.
Almost a whole hour wasted.
Let's get a little more organized, folks. Get the facts straight. There's a big
difference between 40 and 400. And how about roping off the line at 6 p.m.? :
This would be a big help in keeping the line somewhat organized and would
deter many from skipping in line. Let's face it; we aren't all boy scouts -
trustworthiness and honesty are dying traditions at A&M.
Terry Carol '92
Correction
A letter to the editor in the Jan. 30
edition of The Battalion was typed into
the computer system incorrectly.
The letter, titled "Find a peaceful so
lution," should have read: "It should
be clear to the open mind that one ned
not support Bush's foreign policy in oi
der to fully support the Americans thal
must execute the policy.
The Battalion regrets the error.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Conference
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Lisa Ann Robertson,
Editor
Kathy Cox, Managing Editor
Jennifer Jeffus,
Opinion Page Editor
Chris Vaughn, City Editor
Keith Sartin,
Richard Tijerina,
News Editors
Alan Lehmann, Sports Editor
Fredrick D. Joe, Art Director
Kristin North,
Life Style Editor
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the itch by Nile
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