The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, July 21, 1997, Image 5

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    Monday ‘July 21, 1997
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American-made television
The Battalion
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Extremist views persist on MTV, C-SPAN; CNN represents middle man
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Tlruth, justice and the
I American way used to be
X touted as similar ideals,
the 1950s, Superman pur-
med and defended these three
hings every day on television.
In the 1990s, Americans
come to expect a little
ess from their television he-
oes. The television climate
oday is blending the Ameri-
:anway into a medium com-
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Columnist
Stephen Luno
Senior history major
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brew
posed of elements of two diametri-
ally opposed extremes of the
Imerican consciousness.
This middle ground American way
fields an interesting blend, deeply
ooted in the opposing natures of C-
IPAN and MTV.
There can be no better pair of oppo-
iites. C-SPAN is known for its gavel-to-
j ;avel coverage of the House of Repre
sentatives; MTV is known for its
;avel-to-gavel coverage of every musi-
io|:ian whose been indicted or arrested.
Both channels try to play as few music
ei rideos as possible.
C-SPAN offers real, uncensored,
wjimanalyzed rhetoric straight from
mouths of politicians, non-fic-
lion authors and weird people such
is Janet Reno. MTV offers unreal,
nsored, overanalyzed rhetoric
from the mouths of record produc-
music artists and weird people
such as Marilyn Manson.
Because they are both cable net
works, there is an element of competi-
involved. MTV offers a program
features a bunch of young men
women living together in London,
screaming at each other about peanut
mtter and dirty clothes.
C-SPAN offers a program that fea
tures a bunch of old men and women
living together in London, screaming
at each other about taxation and NATO
expansion. Of course, there’s more
than “The Real World” and “Prime
Minister’s Questions” to the success of
both of these networks pinning the
American public between rock music
and hard political reality.
C-SPAN appeals to the collective dis-
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trust of centralized govern
ment that all Americans har
bor to some extent. When
politicians begin to assem
ble on Capitol Hill for anoth
er festive legislative hoe-
down, people want to know
what’s going on. C-SPAN
provides direct, simple and
complete coverage of every
thing going down in the
House of Representatives.
The network isn’t perfect.
Analysis by experts, although some
times annoying, is necessary to devel
op healthy political views. C-SPAN of
fers the straight speeches, but without
analysis, they don’t provide a complete
picture for all viewers.
More importantly, if the Senate floor
and the House chamber are seen as sa
cred places where not many people
can participate, then C-SPAN also
serves an important para-social func
tion for the viewer. Subconsciously,
viewers easily can feel satisfied feeling
that they fulfilled their civic duty just
by watching the television.
MTV, on the other hand, has made
a mint by playing commercials for
rock bands 24 hours a day. Not only
does this lower attention span signifi
cantly, but it also opens the door for
specialty cable networks. Currently,
an individual can receive everything
from sexual advice to commentary on
world events, including the latest pop
hit as a soundtrack.
MTV embodies a pretty significant
part of society’s view of success. In
every alternative video there is either
a lust (disguised as love) or popularity
motif revolving around a band’s mil
lions of screaming fans. Rap videos
are even more notorious, as every rap
star has an expensive car, a mansion
and a few super models lying around
the living room.
This new definition of success —
where big problems such as drugs,
gangs, unrequited love and sexual
misconduct are resolved in less than
five minutes — has caused Americans
to expect fast food service for full
course problems. Other programs,
such as MTV News specials do pro- .
vide an important voice for young
people, but they also act as tokens to
ward real societal change. Instead of
taking up action themselves, young
people are satisfied to see Kurt Loder
talk about it for them.
Being sandwiched between MTV
and C-SPAN isn’t all that bad. Most
Americans tolerate a bologna blend of
both: CNN. Complete with the raw
sound bite from a speech or debate,
the story is resolved in a couple of
minutes. Add that catchy music,
James Earl Jones, and traveling
around the world in 30 minutes
seems quite cool.
There should be a balance, but
settling for straight mediocrity does
not make for a balanced intellectual
diet. Some sort of challenge to news
material is necessary, but as long as
people continue to define them
selves as being in the middle, intel
lectual challenges will appear as
sparsely as music videos.
Graphic: Brad Graeber
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World environment faces uncertain timetable of crisis
ave the planet. It’s the only
one we’ve got.” This is just
one of many over used cries
for attention from brain dead celebri
ties. Occasionally, though, these peo
ple come up with a good idea. Conser
vation and recycling are ideas that
need to be embraced by everyone —
including conservative groups such as
the Republican Party.
Everyone has an ancestor, usually a
grandmother, who can be described as,
“darning a sock until it could stand up by itself.”
Recycling, conservation and “saving for a rainy
day” are time-honored traditions in this country.
Perhaps Americans in the 19th century did not
recycle and conserve the same things people in
this day are concerned about, but the spirit was
the same: Don’t use something up that you
might need later.
Many conservatives in this country, Rush
Limbaugh being one of the more notable and
vocal, decry conservation efforts as unneces
Columnist
Chris Brooks
Senior physics major
sary. These individuals might be right.
But just because there is enough of
something, is not an excuse to waste
it. Conservatives claim to be holding
to traditional American ideals, so they
should embrace the “waste not, want
not” philosophy of the past.
Again, every once in a while, the peo
ple on the west coast come up with a
good cause. The hysteria over global
warming, however, is as bad a cause as
conservation is a good one. Dr. Steve
Baum, assistant research scientist for the De
partment of Oceanography at Texas A&M, said
that it will be at least 15 years before scientists
can know whether or not global warming is a
problem of critical proportions.
According to World Climate Report, the project
ed global warming for the next 100 years will cause
approximately an eight inch rise in the sea level,
which is a 0.08 inch rise per year. This is nothing
significant. A good hurricane would not even
bother itself with a 0.08 inch increase in sea level
while it is busy with its several feet per hour flood.
It seems that no one can get worried about this.
Apparently there has been a 0.5 degree rise in
the world’s average temperature in the last 100
years — suggesting there is global warming.
Whether it is a big deal or not, perhaps people
should try to stop it. This would be a great idea if
people were actually the cause.
Sallie Baliunas, a Harvard astrophysicist,
told the Senate Committee on Energy and Nat
ural Resources that evidence shows as much as
one-half of the temperature change over the
last 100 years can be attributed to changes in
the output of the sun.
Although the warming of the sun is not nec
essarily a good thing, there is nothing humans
can do about it. On the subject of natural
changes in the world, some scientists say that
the earth is technically still coming out of its
last ice age. This translates loosely as, “some
warming is to be expected,” which means that
if global warming is occurring, the government
is very likely wasting its time and the taxpayers’
money trying to fight it.
The $250,000 question, though, is whether
there is really global warming. Baum said that
the preponderance of the data suggests that
there is global warming, however World Climate
Report wrote that the 20 years Earth has moni
tored its weather using satellites has shown no
global warming trend. In fact, for the month of
May 1997, global temperatures averaged 0.04
degree Celsius below normal.
Studies also show that ice sheets in Green
land have thickened since 1980. And although
there have been plenty of heat waves lately,
World Climate Report asserts that there have
not been an unusual number of them, nor have
any of them produced any amazing tempera
tures. Even the much touted heat wave of July
1995 was ranked 50th for this century.
Global warming is either a minor problem or
a hoax — nothing to get excited about. This is
not to say that being concerned about the envi
ronment is bad. People just need to be careful in
picking battles that are worth fighting.
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Mail Call
Kinesiology exists
for coaching staff
In response to Chris Brooks’ July
17 column:
The reason students have to take
four kinesiology classes during our
college careers is because the Uni
versity needs to justify its unneces
sarily large coaching staffs.
If it wasn’t for kinesiology class
es, these extra coaches wouldn’t
be affordable.
Perhaps this money could be
better used for academic endeavors
rather than huge coaching staffs.
Carl Roth
Class of’99
Students create
parking problems
In response to last weeks’ column
and news stories on PTTS:
What a bunch of whiners. I’m a
parking officer at Texas A&M, and
if you’re interested, I can and will
tell you what the problem involves.
The problem is that we have a
large group of people who are
spoiled or believe that the rules
don’t apply to them; or, since
Mommy and Daddy are paying,
why should they worry? After all,
it was not their fault they received
$600 worth of citations and were
towed twice this semester.
It’s time for a little reality kids.
We have between 27,000 and
28,000 parking spaces. I’ve been
told that this is second in the na
tion behind Ohio State. We also
have 42,000 students, 8,000 staff
members and probably thou
sands of visitors or vendors on
campus everyday — you do the
math. Anyway, if it will help,
here are a few simple rules:
1. Just because a patch of pave
ment is flat does not make it a park
ing space. If it does not look like a
parking space, it isn’t. The green stuff
is grass, so don’t park there either.
2. Read the parking rules. It’s
amazing, but someone actually
wrote all this stuff down for you
to comprehend.
3. A 30-minute space means
30 Earth minutes.
4. A University business space
is for people conducting busi
ness for the University, not be
cause “I’m going to class and
that’s University business,” or “t
work for The Battalion.”
5. Bike lanes are for bikes, not
cars trucks or boats.
6. This one is simple guys. If
your wheels are not going round
and round, in our opinion you’re
parked — even if you are in the car.
7. If you are on campus, you
need a permit. There is no place
to park for any length of time
without one (see rule #3).
8. About the check you wrote
to pay for the eight tickets you
had the first time we towed you
... well it bounced, and we’re go
ing to tow you again.
9. PTTS did not put your car
there ... you did.
James Wallace
Class of 95
The Battalion encourages letters to the ect.
itor. Letters must be 300 words or less and In
clude the author’s name, class, and phone
number.
The opinion editor reserves the right to edit
letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters
may be submitted in person at 013 Reed Mc
Donald with a valid student ID. Letters may also
be mailed to: '
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
77843-1111
Campus Mail: 1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
E-mail: Batt@tamvml.tamu.edu