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'36
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TUESDAY
July 30, 1996
OPINION
Page 5
TV viewer controls content
A ccording to a
recent study by
U.S. News and
World Report, more
than two-thirds of
Americans believe
television “con
tributes to violence
and erodes family
values.” What does
that mean?
The customers of
the entertainment in
dustry are American
viewers, 70 percent of whom feel the
product crafted for them is too violent.
Why, then, do Americans patronize a
product of inadequate quality?
Capitalism is a wonderful thing. If a
consumer purchases a good and isn’t
satisfied with its quality, the next time
around he or she is free to shop for a
better good, whether it be plastic forks,
tissue paper, milk or beer.
This should also be true for televi
sion programming, but it requires
viewer activism.
While one isn’t directly “purchasing”
a TV show, the consequences of either
watching or not watching a given time
slot have a pronounced indirect effect.
Media research by contracted entities
such as the Neilsen rating system moni
tor the size and demographics of audi
ences for programs. This information is
in turn used to gauge the financial
worth of an advertising slot for the pro
gram. Shows that aren’t watched have
little advertising demand, which leads
to the end of their broadcast lives. Ad
vertising makes or breaks a show.
This is where consumer influence
comes into play. The simplest way to
eliminate violent programming is not to
watch it. Lower ratings for the show
and less violence for children who live
in the home are the results.
However, consumers can take their
activism one step further — directly to
the advertiser.
Advertisers respond to their poten
tial clients. If consumers express con
cern to an advertiser about violent pro
gramming and state they do not wish to
purchase products that support these
programs with advertising dollars,
they’ll listen. Appealing to the advertis
er attacks the program.
By contacting advertisers and not
watching violent television, viewers can
take a stab at inadequate TV. One prob
lem remains, though: monitoring what
the kids watch.
It isn’t troubling to think of a room
full of adults watching a portrayal of
murder, fighting and gore. Adults have
already developed pronounced social
and moral values, and are unlikely to be
swayed by a TV show.
Children are a different story. Their
minds are easily molded by what they
are exposed to — both on television and
in real life. Parents should keep this in
mind before giving their children carte
blanche to watch whatever they please.
A recent UCLA study did extensive
research into the topic of violence in
the entertainment industry. The re
port concluded with practical recom
mendations to parents about children’s
television habits. In these suggestions,
a central theme can be seen: aware
ness and communication.
First, it is essential that a parent de
termines exactly what a child watches.
Children should not be left with the TV
as a babysitter.
Second, parents and children should
talk about what the child watches. A
child should be made to feel comfortable
asking questions about violent and
scary scenes. On the other hand, a par
ent should not hesitate to question the
child about his or her opinions regard
ing scenes on television.
Because of television, America has
become one of the most informed soci
eties on earth. Television brought the
Vietnam War into the living rooms of
America. Television brought news of a
bomb in the Olympic Village early Sat
urday morning within seconds of its
detonation. TV has the potential to be a
great instructor in the future as well.
But, like all technology, it requires re
sponsibility on the part of the viewer, or
the violence seen on TV could carry over
to mainstream America.
David Recht is a Class of’97
civil engineering major
DAVID
RECHT
Columnist
US. Commemorative^
Jesse
James
Father of
Banking Reform
Dr. Jack
Ke/orkian
Father of Health
Cave Reform
Father of
Welfare RefoKon
M&VUBS
Stepped-up security will not stop terrorists
I n a scene that has become all too fa
miliar in recent weeks, the American
flag is at half-staff across the country
— and in Centennial Park.
Saturday’s early morning bombing at
the open park should serve as a wake-up
call to each and every one of us. Terrorism
is no longer something that only occurs in
faraway countries none of us has ever
been to.
And although the Oklahoma City and
the World Trade Center bombings have
become dusty memories for most Ameri
cans, maybe the recent attack at At
lanta’s Centennial Olympic Games will convince us no one
is immune.
While additional national guard troops were dispatched to
avoid a repeat attack, Atlantans and visitors from around the
world responded in a surprising way — even higher atten
dance in the days since the bombing.
Instead of bowing to fear and staying home, crowds poured
into Olympic venues at near-capacity levels.
This was a much more effective statement than camou
flaged GIs with automatic weapons.
And the decision to reopen Centennial Park today and allow
it to continue as an open attraction is a significant statement to
those inclined to commit terrorist acts. Put simply, the refusal
to drape the park in barbed wire is the best defense.
But while the two deaths and scores of injuries were tru
ly tragic, it is a greater tragedy that the evidence is point
ing to homegrown terrorism. Americans have long associat
ed terrorism with Middle-Eastern groups. Now we’re hav
ing to accept the reality that our own citizens are capable
of the same.
Yes, the Centennial Olympic Games have been “tar
nished.” And the city of Atlanta will be forever associated
with Munich, whose 1972 Olympic Games witnessed the mur
der of 11 Israeli athletes.
But there is a greater issue here. This nation is following a
dangerous and explosive path.
The domestic tranquility our parents knew is not ours. The
United States is no longer immune to the attacks of interna
tional and domestic entities.
But will we suffer the fate of Great Britain, Israel, and
countless other countries where paramilitary organizations and
deranged individuals kill and maim for myopic political gains?
Even optimists Eire conceding this may be our future, too.
The unfortunate reality is that terrorists almost always
win no matter what their motives are. They crave chaos
and death.
But a false sense of security will be provided by the addi
tion of more metal detectors and baggage seEirches at the
Olympic events — and at entrances to airport concourses and
buildings across the nation. More elaborate security will only
breed more elaborate attempts by terrorists.
Therefore, reopening Centennial Park under minimal se
curity is purely rational.
Because in the end, if someone is determined to bomb an
airplane, building or even the Olympic GEimes, he will find a
way. We learned that the hard way in Oklahoma City and at
the World Trade Center.
We also leEimed that these two atrocities, along with Sat
urday’s bombing at Centennial Park, are not merely isolated
events. Rather, they seem to be the onset of an epidemic.
Fortunately, Atlanta realized that more barbed wire and
checkpoints are not the cure.
Michael Heinroth is a Class of’96 political science major
MICHAEL
HEINROTH
Columnist
Mail
NBC commentators
show bias against others
I am sorry to say Xiangang Zeng is
correct in his analysis of the NBC
Olympic commentators. They are bla
tantly biased. When they referred to
the Russian women’s gymnastic team
winning the competition for X number
of years in a row, they were quick to
add the qualifier, “except when they
boycotted in ’84.” But the other night
when I was watching the Men’s 400-
meter freestyle relay, the commenta
tors said the United States had won
the gold for something like 32 years in
a row. I suppose the commentators
forgot about 1980.
Christopher Kuhn
Class of ’9 7
Atlanta does not warrant
bashing by media
I am a native of Atlanta, a Georgia
Tech alumnus, and now a graduate
student at A&M. I have a few com
ments about the media’s coverage of
the Games. I am appalled at the world
press’ reaction to the Atlanta Games.
We don’t hear about the actual sport
ing events or about how much fun the
fans are having. All we hear are the
negatives from the world press. I
thought responsible journalism meant
reporting the good with the bad.
The Atlanta Games are in chaos ac
cording to most international, as well
as U.S. reporters. I have friends in At
lanta who have been to gymnastics
events, equestrian events and the
Olympic park. All comments have
been wonderful. There is congestion
on the Atlanta subway system, but
this is to be expected with a sudden
surge of millions of people. Yes, there
are other problems and some of the
problems are quite big. But, let us re
member three key points. One, At
lanta is putting on the biggest games
of the century. Two, Atlanta is the
first city to bring the Olympic move
ment into the 21st century, technolo
gy-wise. Three, Atlanta has put less
financial burden on the residents of
Atlanta than any other recent games.
Bravo to Atlanta and its incredible
job. Shame on the world media for
perpetuating every mistake, whether
major or minuscule. In this age of in
stantaneous news, news makes a big
impact on our daily lives; therefore,
we can do without irresponsible re
porting. As for the international me
dia, complain only when you host an
Olympic Games of this size and com
plexity. If the Atlanta Games go down
in history as a “Chaotic Experience,”
the majority of the blame is on the
head of the media.
an improving Texas economy, there
should be some moderation in social-
service funding demands. Finally,
there is a good possibility that advo
cates for higher education will pre
sent a more unified front and request
that any new state higher education
dollars go to formula funding.
As a result of these dynamics, I
am hopeful and look forward to hav
ing another opportunity to fight for
the legitimate needs of Texas A&M
University.
Stephen E. Ogden
State Representative, District 14
British discriminate
against Irish Catholics
I am writing in response to Jill
Nicholl’s column in reference to a pa
rade held by the Grand Orange Lodge
of Ireland, the largest and most pow
erful Protestant organization in
Northern Ireland. This volatile pa
rade commemorates the 1689 incident
when 13 teenage apprentices locked
the gates of Londonderry against a
besieging Catholic army.
Nicholl says the people of Northern
Ireland are “British.” If you go to Eu
rope and call anyone that does not
live in the actual borders of Great
Britain “British,” they will probably
be insulted. Try calling someone from
Scotland or Ireland “British.” They
will surely correct you and say I am
Scottish or Irish. We do not call Puer
to Ricans “Americans” just because j
they are living in a province of the
United States. The Puerto Ricans
have a rich culture that is totally sep
arate from that of Ajnerica and should
be recognized as such.
Nicholl points out that it is a cus
tom to march in these areas. What
she fails to say is these areas are in
habited prirparily by Catholics who
were driven there by the Protestants
who discriminated against them.
Catholics are not welcome to buy
houses or get jobs in other areas in
habited by Protestants. Now that
they have confined them to these ar
eas they insist on throwing it in their
face by marching there and showing
their “supremacy.”
Nicholl also says Northern Ireland
is not torn apart by hatred. This
statement is not entirely true. The
Catholics have been hated and dis
criminated against ever since the
British Protestants have occupied it.
Nicholl also makes reference to the
“propaganda of the minority sympa
thizers of the I.R.A.” Well it sounds to
me like she is a majority sympathizer
of the Ulster Freedom Federation
(U.F.F.), the radical paramilitary
group of the Protestants in Ireland.
Laura Whitaker
Graduate Student
U.S. should not pay for
U.N.'s bloated budget
Steven Gyeszly’s column that criti
cizes the United States for not paying
its financial obligations to the United
Nations misses the point. The United
Nations’ budget is indeed a small frac
tion of the United States’ budget.
However, it is very well documented
that the United Nations is an ex
tremely bloated bureaucracy of ex
tremely overpaid functionaries. If
Gyeszly would compare, for example,
the average number of staff and their
rate of pay to groups who provide sim
ilar functions in the U.S. government
(which is not exactly a lean and mean
organization itself), he would under
stand why the U.S. Congress is right
ly applying financial pressure to re
dress the situation. Does he think for
one minute that this bureaucracy
would voluntarily vote to reduce its
size or rate of pay?
Walter Bradley
Professor of Mechanical Engineer-
A&M's financial woes
should be eased soon
In reference to the article dated July
24, 1996, titled “Ogden: No More Mon
ey for Higher Education,” things are
not as bleak as the headline suggests.
Because of an additional $24 mil
lion in revenue as a result of General
Use Fee increases and approximately
level state appropriations during this
biennium, Texas A&M should be in
good financial shape and have ade
quate funds to fulfill its mission.
With respect to the upcoming leg
islative session, there is cause for
some optimism. The Texas economy is
doing well and state revenues should
increase accordingly. Likewise, with
James Flynn
Class of ’96
Nike promotes Stewart,
not 12th Man, in shirt
A friend and I happened to go into a
sports shop in Dallas a few weeks ago
and while there we decided to buy the
new 12th Man jersey by Nike. He told
us that we had better buy one because
Nike was only making a limited num
ber of the jerseys. I thought, since
when has Nike ever made a limited
edition of any product? I came back to
College Station after that weekend and
noticed that the MSG is also now sell
ing a new version of the Nike A&M jer
sey. The only problem is that the jersey
that they Eire selling has Branndon
Stewart’s number 7.
Now I am as excited as the next guy
about our heralded new quarterback,
and I can only hope that he can lead
our football team to a national champi
onship. But since when did we as stu
dents become the 7th Man? What about
the rest of the team? This school is not
about one specific person on the foot
ball team, it is about tradition — the
tradition of the 12th Man. So I guess
that the shopkeeper was right when he
told me about the limited edition 12th
Man jersey. So all I can say is, get one
while they’re hot.
W. Morgan
Class of ’96
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will print as many as space allows. Letters must be
300 words or less and include the author's name,
class, and phone number.
We reserve the right to edit letters for length, style,
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