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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1997)
O The Battalion PINION Wednesday • September 17,19' v'V-'r:. Mail Call Cater’s apathetic view is pathetic In response to Mandy Cater’s September 16 column: For months, I have read Cater’s opinions, and I am once again de pressed by her apathy. I know of several individuals who frown upon our traditions, but how could anybody want to see Aggie friendliness go? Howdy is just a popular expres sion of unity and friendliness. Per sonally, I don’t care if someone says hey, hi, hello, what’s up, etc. All I want to see is a hint of kind ness from every Aggie. I encourage all students to visit Rice, t.u., Tech, TCU or any other college for that matter and exam ine how dismal and cold the per sonality of their student bodies are. What we have in Aggieland is so special. It is a shame that some people want to see Aggie friendli ness removed. As for Howdy Ags, I praise you for making a concentrated effort to conserve the friendliness on our campus. As for Cater, perhaps you will win the respect of fellow Aggies and myself if you take a stand for something, anything! I’m growing tired of the constant scrutiny against those that at least have the courage to take a stand. Steve Walkup Class of’98 accompanied by 29 signatures Nothing backwoods about ‘Howdy’ use In response to Mandy Cater’s September 16 column: Cater writes, “Howdy is more like a shout out at some hillbilly square dance night.” Does any body else see some over gener alizing here? Since when did be ing friendly to a stranger cause a person to “return to the back- woods, toothpicking, banjo strumming roots?” I see nothing wrong with a stranger saying “howdy” to an other stranger. 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But, if a person does wish to participate in a tradition, far be it from me to condemn them for doing so if it is not harmful to those involved. It won’t kill you to hear the word “howdy,” and if you don’t want to say it, then don’t. Cater is correct in saying that “howdy” is merely a word and not a university requirement, but if people like to promote the word, then don’t denounce their efforts and ridicule them with absurd generalizations. Jennifer Robinson Class of '98 >4™ YE Aggie greeting is a privilege to say the rest of the day. I knowthert| have been times when I wash; ing a bad day and the sound of howdy "ringing out like sweet music” has lifted my spirits. The reason: someone took time out of their busy schedule acknowledge my presence in their life. It didn’t take much eft and they didn’t even havetosto ()ur society has gotten away fro a sense of community and fom )g£||(0 the word of self-absorption. I won’t pretend that I say “Howdy” to everyone 1 meetl„ ‘ I trek across campus because that would be impossibletoi I do attempt to notice those that look down or upset and extend them a greeting that may help their attitude. Sometimes a “Howdy” is no; necessary, a simple smilewilld to let people know that someo: else notices them and cares enough to let them knowit.Ca| &,|yi r>« me a red-ass if you want r Idon In response to Mandy Cater’s Sep tember 16 column: “Howdy” is more than a tradi tion it is a courtesy. I believe the Howdy Council has the right idea, we need to “save the word.” This situation is about more than just a word, it is about our society and the way we treat each other. People today walk around in their own little world and many times have no concept of what is going on with others around them. Cater said, “ Some tradi tions are old, some are tired and some are just stupid.” Well, I happen to believe the “Howdy” tradition may be the most important tradition at A&M because it encompasses everything about the "Aggie Spirit.” As a psychology major, Cater should understand the power of a kind word. We never know how much of an effect this one little word may have on someone’s attitude for care, but I an always readytoei )n0r6( tend a full-hearted “Howdy’jir someone I meet. 1 don’t see it as a responsit ty or something I have to do,; me, it’s a privilege. So to^LLv Ags out there — HOWDYand Gig’em. Whoop! Jodie Hok Class of aker who i ak about t with the di ladder The sawyer, a h :he virus fri when he' ’ampus Cr nsoring the )r. Michael /I professo ring, has b iety of Petr E) to receh ring Award Oct. 5-8 in be award i ignition of tributions t evaluatior The Battalion encourages letters to itor. Letters must be 300 words or less a elude the author's name, class, and pi number. The opinion editor reserves the right::- letters for length, style, and accuracy.te ' 311 ITU may be submitted in person at 013 Reec' Donald with a valid student ID. Lettersmai Robert L (E be mailed to: ■ • ^ . ( The Battalion - Mall 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.6du For more details on letter policy, please a 845-3313 and direct your question to (he opinion editor. biting essor erne :d of the Dr Engineerin Jors at the - iety of Petr Oct. 5-8 Vhiting wil dstinguish contributic the petrol [I. Also, he | Legion of |is 50 con; nbership t Miss America pageant carries superficiality^r J- V Dallas (Ai 97 F Ti I here she is, Miss America. And there’s her naval. The 77th An nual Miss America pageant was held prove they are in shape to hdn support. What we < Its vs. the Mason Jackson columnist Saturday night in Atlantic City. It was a year of change for the pageant as it continues to struggle with an identity crisis. Is it an appearance based meat market or is it a scholarship competition for America’s best and brightest 18 to 24 year-old single women? This year, to confuse the is sue further, they have imple mented more scholarship cate gories while at the same time allowing contestants to wear bikinis in the swimsuit competi tion for the first time since 1947, which, if I’m not mistaken, was during the roaring twenties. Also this year, the pageant moved from longtime broad cast partner NBC to Disney owned ABC. Disney has been responsible for such risque programming as The Little Mermaid, in which a young “sea slut” named Ariel comes of age with nothing more than two seashells to protect her modesty. So the switch to biki nis is hardly surprising. To see if we can shed light on the true nature of the pageant, perhaps we should look at the judging process. The preliminary scoring, which takes place before the live telecast, narrows the field down to 10 finalists. The weighting of scores (af ter exercise and bulimia) is as follows: talent - 40 percent; in terview - 30 percent; on-stage personality in evening wear - 15 percent; Physical fitness on swimsuit - 15 percent. As it states, it isn’t how the contestant looks in the evening wear, but rather the personality as illustrated through careful consideration of sequins and shoulder pads. And it isn’t how attractive a contestant looks in a swimsuit, but rather the opportunity to ’97 fund-r die the physical rigors that car J cele •*l • • »< et sales a come with winning the crown (because standing on a float and waving for two hours is nearly as demanding as watch L ing a marathon.) Ith, progra During the telecast the field I t0 ^.| 3ast is narrowed from ten to five.ThtI| nesc | a y remaining five are interviewed Ration. We and asked a question related to their platform. Their platformis generally a vague stand on a current issue supported with volunteer time at the appropri ate non-profit organization. Here is a completely fiction al example of an interview question and answer — Question: Miss Vermont, your state is known for its Cheddar cheese, how do you feel about crime? Answer: Well Bob, I think it is bad. All people just need to founde love each other, as Americans, P benefits one nation, under God. I u ^ in ^ two And in an endearingly naive s 1 " way (who, me condescending?) r 1 ^ sai ’ the contestants talk about the ) impact they want to make in their chosen area, as if our public policy makers are watching. Everyone knows that Washington) D.C. hookers give a 15 percent discount on Saturday nights. It is obvious that the Miss America Pageant is a beauty contest, even though most of the suppe ast year, a Farm Aid c |e Stadium ks ago, Wi boys owne need that t efit family 1 is Stadium sto include feil Young, Jol hews Ban |es ranged ince Nels the finalist seem to have fright-^ | ^ L. J #i fj eningly large teeth and despite the fact that on any given day on this very campus you will see several women more at tractive than the big-haired girls that always win (and the crowd roars at the blatant at tempt to suck up to the female volley student population.) Ldsrud ( And as a beauty pageant it is ^ u based on appearance, not sub- >ord bool stance. The big ones (pageants, not, well, you know) are tele vised because sex does sell. So if the Miss America Pageant wants to retain what viewers they still have, they should admit that it is, like most other aspects of our soci- indent sa ety, extremely superficial. If people want to watch the MacNeil/Leher News Hour they will, unless Jim Leher de cides he looks good in a bikini. I http://ba 4 irguson: n campu: Mason Jackson /so sen/ot r ec ^ ou ^ marketing major Ihe for adi .—-'iters, act N past a