Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 1994)
. 199^ Tuesday • June 28, 1994 & :**nj*<; WmKMM . Page 5 Older generations establish living links to history’s lessons Ap Photo jnday to , playing mbledon, la Sabati- i Fernan- iere, beat lonesia 6- i 18 aces t-ranked iur-matcli a notch competi- t retreat onsistent l. 'T feel it on the tnnis, I’m m, third- /lartinez d of Aus- and fifth- advanced -er Naoko > after small ;ers art-ownero! o a deal that aek, the Los Sunday. Ilia ion’s stake ss than H sntly wouli rns to ^P) - Paul his general return to .pproves the Vhalers to rmanos Jr. he Hartford nday. Jim resident, is ie general sack ■os ne Houston d outfielder : A Tucson >imms back ; the Pacific 99 batting lied by the le 13 when s placed on rd W ithout constant visits to history, it is very easy to forget where we came from. There are children who own every electronic device and contrivance known to humankind, and still act extremely put out when they lack the newest Sega game. These children could tell you how to get to the highest level of “Mortal Kombat,” but rarely have any idea how to add without a calculator. In a society of disposable razors, marriages and sometimes children, it becomes vitally important that we remember that things once were built to last. To keep in touch with this time, there is a living database which few of us ever access: old people. All of our ancestors scrabbled in the dark for matches for their lanterns, perhaps dreaming of ways they could make things easier. For many inventors, they had to know their past before they could progress to the future. They had to see their lack of light as a problem to which there was a solution. Voila! Thomas Edison invented the electric light in 1879. Possibly your great- grandparents were there to see it. Texas A&M commands a vast amount of respect in the glowing eyes of new students when they see “Established 1876” emblazoned on the seal. It would seem natural, then, to maintain that aged things are useful and interesting because they survive. If something lasts very long, there must be a reason JULIA STAVENHAGEN Columnist why, besides the novelty of it actually having endured. To a precious few, the 1966 Volkswagen holds more appeal than a brand new Miata. The survival of Volkswagen engineering older than most college students is fascinating to the new car owner whose car is in the shop because the computer-aided fuel injection ran out of disk space. In other countries, grandparents are respected members of the family and constantly asked for information about the past. Conversely, America’s old people are treated as a medical liability and constantly looked upon as a nuisance. Where will your parents live when they get too old to take care of themselves? Your den? More probably a nursing home. The average family would rather pay for the convenience of having someone else take care of their aging relations. The natural transmission of facts from one generation to another is lost in this scenario. Before books and computers, all knowledge was passed orally to the next generation. Today, these factual stories are replaced by brainless, generalized entertainments that do little to acquaint us with our past. They separate us from personal experiences with history. Most of the information we receive about history comes to us after skipping a generation or two, perhaps taking a turn in a dry textbook. We learn about Prohibition from “The Untouchables” TV show, not our own grandparents. It’s much more exciting to hear your grandfather describe a speakeasy where he actually drank than to see a vague approximation on a movie screen frequented by people you don’t know. To feel a connection by blood to a person from a period of history long gone holds its own allure. If you don’t know what it feels Before books and computers, knowl edge was passed orally to the next generation. Today, these factual sto ries are replaced by brainless, gener alized entertainments about our past. like, you may never really have listened to what your parents or grandparents were saying, thinking they droned on about a subject of no interest to you. It is important to realize that by sharing their experience, senior citizens offer us shortcuts around our own difficulties. My friend Jeff couldn’t realize why he and his girlfriend did not get along. They studied together all the time and they often watched movies at his house, but aside from the occasional trip to Taco Bell, they never spent much time face to face. Jeff visited his grandfather, who listened to his troubles. “In my day ...” he began. Jeff groaned inwardly, but then he began to listen. Jeffs grandfather related insight from his own courtship with his wife of 48 years. Stories of walking together in the park, playing cards or going for a drive surprised Jeffrey into realizing that everything he did with Kim was technology-related. They spent time in front of VCR’s, computers and movie screens. Sometimes he forgot what she looked like. Jeffs grandfather’s courtship was technology-free, and much more successful. Jeffs relationship took a turn for the better because of his reacquaintance with an old- fashioned idea. As an exclusive group of young people, college students tend to overlook the wisdom of age, preferring instead the familiarity of their own flock. In such an environment, it is simple to remain in front of the television and absorb the constructed history of other people. This is especially alienating if your culture is not “mainstream.” We jab clinically at ancient survivors of time, surprised that they actually lived without VCR’s. I wish I had tapped my own grandparents’ stores of knowledge before it was too late. MBH smmMmmmmmwmmm Julia Stavenhagen is a graduate anthropology student Fathers deserve real recognition Holiday commercialization ignores true meaning behind celebration CHRIS s. COBB Columnist H appy Father’s Day, Dad. It may be a week or so late, but that’s on purpose. Haven’t most of us already forgotten Father’s Day? Why shouldn’t we? After all, the holiday is out of the way and we are now thinking of bigger and better things. At this time of year, an abundance of advertisements run in the newspapers especially for Father’s Day. In fact, I have grown tired of leafing through these advertisements to find the actual news. Commercials appear on television and broadcast on the radio which proclaim that every store is having their greatest sale ever with gift ideas - televisions, refrigerators, cars, food processors, John Deere tractors, etc. - just for dear ol’ dad. All of this happens many weeks before Father’s Day is celebrated. There is a big build-up to the third Sunday in June, father’s day, just like any other holiday - only 178 shopping days left until Christmas. Merchants have an undeniable right to make money, but have they missed the point? Are the many thoughts of dollar signs clouding their judgment? Have we as a society forgotten the original intent of this holiday? Is buying Dad yet another tie for his one “special occasion” enough to express our appreciation? The first Father’s Day wasn’t celebrated for people to make a buck. Sonora Louise Dodd was inspired to start a petition for a national day recognizing fathers after hearing a sermon on Mother’s Day. Dodd wanted to honor William Jackson Stuart, her father, and all fathers. Stuart’s wife died in 1898 and he had to raise their six children by himself. June 19, 1910, Spokane, Washington, where Dodd was living, was the first place to celebrate Father’s Day, because of her efforts. The holiday was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon in 1972. Every child needs a father. The statistics for fatherless homes are astounding. According to the Houston Chronicle, families without fathers are seven times more likely to live in poverty than those with two-parent families. “Children living with their fathers are also more likely to do well in school, less likely to suffer from mental illness, use drugs and commit crimes, and less likely to suffer from abuse or neglect.” These problems certainly can be avoided even if a child has no father, but there seems to be a connection that cannot be overlooked. To use a generalization, the father tends to teach children the more physical things about life and coaches them along. The mother tends to teach about the emotional aspects of life. These qualities are equally necessary parts of a child’s learning in building confidence and becoming a well-rounded person. Of course, both parents take part in every aspect of bringing up their children and are not strictly limited to only one side, physical or emotional. Fathers deserve the recognition they receive for doing a good job in raising their children. Think of the many dead beat fathers that don’t take the responsibility - who don’t love their children enough - to pay child support, or who take advantage of their parental position and use their children. We hear about these fathers on day-time talk shows but we soon forget the many good fathers. There are also those that don’t know who their fathers are. One of my best friends was never given a chance to know his father. After searching for his biological father, he found him six years too late. He feels robbed that his father died before even meeting him, let alone getting to know him. I am sure to remember my friend bn days like Father’s Day because I know he thinks’of the father he was never given a chance to know. His loss may be greater than those that know their dads. Unfortunately, what happened to him is not uncommon. I feel lucky to know my father. I’m even luckier to know that he cares for me, has made sacrifices for me and prays for me. I’m so busy that I don’t see him much or even talk to him very often but I am proud of my father and I miss him. People who miss the original intent of this day belittle it. Shouldn’t this day be to honor and thank our fathers for all they have given us? Let’s not be cliche to say that everyday should be Father’s Day, but instead ask ourselves, why limit our thanks to only one day ...? Chris S. Cobb is a senior English major after >1 re- serv- i for ins had v)U«Y CoMOb&P 09 IU.66AL i TH£ TRiAl. of- o.J. SIMPSoaJ IlSIllll Mail Call A/V Gays portray 'wrong image' for U.S. military All the letters and articles I have read in this paper dealing with the issues of homosexuals in the military have never addressed the main point. Homosexuals are not and should not be welcomed in foe U.S. armed forces because of the im- a ge it would portray. Our armed forces are not institutions for social experiments, they are not politi cally motivated nor are they governed by the rules of the politically correct. The peace is held by the image and reputation of those who have served our country in the past. In defense, image is everything. If someone has broken into your home and is about to kill you and torture your family, do you want a toy poodle or a pit bull between you and the attacker? Both dogs will defend your family and bite the attacker, but which dog will make the at tacker think twice? On the same token, do you want a man who takes a submis sive position, both emotionally and sexu ally, defending your nation and its hard- earned image? Before anyone flies off the handle, I am not talking ability. Anyone can aim a rifle and pull a trigger. Bullies, pitbulls, U.S. Marines and ho mosexuals have certain images associat ed with them. This is why homosexuals should not serve in the armed forces. Jim Fyffe Class of ‘9 7 Cartoon needs facts on Indonesia, East Timor It is fairly unusual to see articles about our beloved country of Indonesia in American media and in The Battalion. However, on June 16, there was a carica ture about “Techno-butcher” wearing a T- shirt with Indonesia written on the chest and slaughtering some objects labeled “Timor” and “Human Flights.” It took us a while to comprehend its The Battalion Editorial Board Mark Evans, Editor in chief William Harrison, Managing editor Jay Robbins, Opinion editor Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the authors. Contact the opinion editor for -information on submitting guest columns. HP ITO RIAL. Cotton Bowl move Game should relocate to Texas Stadium The plan to move the New Year’s Day Cotton Bowl football game from Dallas Fair Park to Texas Stadium in Irving is a good one and deserves the support of Texas A&M football fans. Moving the site of the annual post season classic is advantageous for all involved. For Cotton Bowl officials themselves, relocation will help ensure that the game remains a top rank game. For the teams who play there and their many fans, Texas stadium is a much better place to watch a football game. Suburban Irving is a much safer and accessi ble neighborhood than the Fair Park area. Traffic and parking problems are much more severe at the old Cotton Bowl, and the stadium is badly in need of repair. John Crawford, president of the Cot ton Bowl Athletic Association, said, that a major factor in the decision was the “perception” among college football and network television officials is that the Fair Park stadium is too exposed to inclement winter weather. The pro posed installation of a retractable cover for the famous hole in Texas Stadium’s roof should eliminate this problem. Traditionalists may decry moving the game from its location for 57 years for the sake of convenience and escap ing the freezing cold. Seeing the Ag gies travel to what is known as “Kyle Field North” on New Year’s day has become somewhat of a tradition that will be missed. However, pragmatic reality must outweigh sentimental ism for tradition in this case. Crawford correct ly observed, “I think it’s important that we be clear that the tradi tion is the game itself, not where the game is played.” He continues, “The bottom line is, if we don’t have a game, we wont have to worry about where to play it.” The Cotton Bowl is competing with other bowls for the right to remain a top rank. New Year’s Day college football bowl game. Crawford said, “It’s become abundantly clear that if we were to make the first cut, we had to consider moving the game to Texas Stadium.” Hopefully by moving the Cotton Bowl to a better stadium in a better lo cation, it will remain a top ranked bowl game and Texas A&M tradition in the future. meaning. For the record, the eastern half of Timor had been occupied by a foreign country for hundreds of years. In Decem ber 1975, the Indonesian government de cided to help the people of East Timor achieve their wish to become united with Indonesia and to end the atrocities of communist movement in that area. Since the integration, that area has enjoyed significant progress never before seen. We feel somewhat offended by that caricature. We realize that some people are still not happy with the integration process, but we don’t think the label “Techno-butcher” fits anything that we stand for. In fact, the situation in East Timor is not as bad as foreign observers acknowledge. We are not convinced that the artist had all the facts. It is sad that a small part of the coun try has become the focus of international monitoring while the beauties of the rest of Indonesia remain untold. One of the things that bothered us was the fact that the artist’s name was not even shown on the caricature. Was this an act of cowardice or was the artist just too busy and forgot to sign his “masterpiece?” Agus Kristijono Class of ‘93 Ike Battalion encour ages tetters to the editor and wilt print as many as space allows. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the au thor's name, class and phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Address tetters to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University CoBege Station, TX 77B43-1 tl 1 Fax; (409) 845-2647