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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1998)
I E«i 2c Monday • January 26, 1998 The Battalion I awry 84Kn TATE OF THE UNION desire to see others in pain, perverse obsessions pollute society I ,L ..—U-. IfrtTi- 'll 41 Mandy Cater opinion editor A mericans, even more so than people of other na tions, are infatuated with the idea of keeping up with the Joneses. Americans are a society of people who harbor deep-seated feelings of envy. They love to feel superior to their neighbors; they love to feel like they “have” more than the people next door. Increasingly it seems, Ameri cans simply enjoy seeing others in compromising, embarassing or painful positions. The Germans have a term for this idea. They call it shoddenfreud — taking pleasure in the pain of others. Obviously, then, the phenomenon is not unique to the United States. However, it does seem as though Ameri cans have perfected the art of the perverse. Case in point. An Associated Press report out of Philadelphia described a novelty developed by an up scale restauranteur in the city. Paradigm, a trendy martini bar and high-dollar es tablishment, is home to what its owner hopes is the newest thing in cocktail cool. The eatery’s three re strooms, directly facing nearly a dozen tables, are de signed with doors of liquid crystal. When the doors are locked, they become opaque; if they are not, well, it redefines the term “dining experience.” According to the article, guests to the restaurant have already been privy to some very intimate moments of unknowing lushes. One would think chic trendsetters would be ap palled by the possibility of seeing drunken patrons in their skivvies, but apparently folks are vying for a ring side seat. Another example of Americans’ “uncouthness” is the popularity of the “funniest home video” genre of televi sion and video offerings. These shows compile outtakes from personal video collections. Viewers roar and applaud as Dad gets nailed in the groin with a golf ball or Aunt Helen loses her teeth at a family reunion. People clap as an overweight woman falls off of a horse or a skier tumbles down the slopes. If it is embarrassing or somebody gets hurt, people laugh. And why do they laugh? Because the person in the clip is not them. The judicial system has even been polluted by this strange obsession. Take for instance Court TV. Here is an entire cable network dedicated to airing courtroom proceedings. Everyone knows how the trend began, but the interest has snowballed. At any hour of the day, people can tune in to see the latest serial killer being cross-examined or an innocent victim’s giving heartwrenching testimony. However, the current “court is cool” fad has nothing to do with a newfound respect for the justice system. It all comes down to shoddenfreud. Perhaps the most glaring example of this American desire for a window to the world is the fascination with the tabloids. Americans are obsessed with trash and gossip. They rush to the check-out lines each week to pick up some rag showing the starlet of the moment without make-up. They line up to catch a glimpse of the latest heart- throb with a spare tire around his waist. They flip on the tube to hear some blurb about who’s having whose love child or who’s checked into Betty Ford. Let’s face it, Americans like to dish, and the dirtier it is, the better. Even formerly respectable news organizations and pro grams are sinking down to this pathetic level just to stay in the ratings game. One needs only think back on the ; media circus surrounding Princess Diana’s death for a memory-refreshing example. | The American obsession with feeling as if they have something on their neighbors really has reached a pa- , thetic level. The message this seems to be sending is that if you can’t feel better about yourself on merit or achievement, just look for a weakness in someone else. This trend is not only a cop-out for genuine personal worth, it is also dangerous. It blurs the lines between private and public and indicates that voyeuristic intru sions are okay. Ultimately, though, the phenomenon is saddening. In a country where people have so many opportunities for personal growth and so many liberties, it is a shame they choose to abuse their freedoms by catching pho tos of celebrities sunbathing nude in their own back yards and wasting their time watching Jerry Springer. Instead of constantly looking out their windows, people should take the time to look in the mirror. Maybe if they discovered what was missing in their own lives, they would not have to rely so heavily upon the disasters and disappointments in the lives of others. Mandy Cater is a senior psychology major ERSPECTIVES r aluable life lessons offered y daytime talk-show host nr. Mickey Saloma columnist ust when I was be ginning to see ab solutely no hope for N vo;i r generation’s future America, I became ac- |d " ainted with a man to brought light to my led outlook on life. ce iis man is Jerry ringer. The day-time talk >w wars have divided smbers of our genera- n since every washed- S * childhood television star attempted to ing America’s burning issues into our living oms. While talk-show hosts such as Vanessa »m “The Cosby Show” and the dietetically RVanced woman from the rock group Wilson -^ulips have come and gone, many other per- nalities have managed to maintain a quality 'O^ishy show. For years, I was charmed by Ricki Lake. Her ndling of intense issues such as cross-dressing dophiles made me a big fan of her catchphrase, o Ihcki.” I also was briefly courted by Jenny Jones. I uld not help but get caught up in the hype iated by her murder-causing show. Maybe I i mistaken, but aren’t all of her shows exactly ke? One can only stomach so much of trashy irl makeovers. Yet through it all, Jerry Springer has maintained mall semblance of sanity in my life. He is a sur- r or and he has a lot to offer to every member of J human race. Jerry Springer is not your average person who ints his own show. He actually cares about nerica and Americans. He stresses to get deep fide the moral fibers of our society and from at draw conclusions and even throw out some ssible solutions. Okay, well that may be a little overboard, but least he doesn’t pretend. While every other smut-filled talk show host empts to fool the viewer into thinking that air show is some sort of expose on a current P' aic that is digging deep into the roots of Amer- Ljjltn society, Springer knows his show is nothing [fj't a parade of our society’s dregs and he is not afraid to say it. Springer is extremely aware of the quality of his talk show. I mean lack of quality. On several occasions he has poked fun of not only his show, but even of himself. The ability to laugh at one’s self is an impor tant characteristic that all the other ego-driven talk-show hosts lack. Springer cares about society so much that he brings these backward guests not to be friend them and act like some sort of useless high-school guidance counselor (like Sally Jesse Raphael), but rather to insult them, be rate them and let them know that their actions are morally and sometimes legally wrong. Springer teaches us that constructive criticism and bluntness is sometimes a necessary tool in social interaction. Springer teaches us to express our thoughts every day. His “Final Thoughts” at the end of each show try to get to the bottom of the show’s issues and leave the viewers with some food for thought. Yet, no matter how great of a teacher Jerry Springer is, he is my ultimate source of sani ty (besides my girlfriend and my OF Lady), because he makes me feel a little better about myself. Sure, I don’t have a perfect relationship with my buddies, but at least they don’t have hidden crushes on me, nor are they involved in any Elvis Presley-worshiping cults. I also don’t have the most functional of families, but we at least love each other and don’t attempt to pick one another up at fami ly reunions. Springer’s show and guests really make me realize a lot about myself. I am Amish com pared to most people. I would never even think to do most of the things that his guests do with out a second glance (i.e. let my daughter be come a stripper). The bottom-line reason why many Ameri cans should embrace “The Jerry Springer Show” is that no matter how bad our lives get, there are many people out there whose lives are in a million times worse shape than ours. Thank you, Jerry. MAIL CALL Gender equity not understood in column I am writing in response to Don- ny Ferguson’s Jan. 22 column con cerning the so-called detrimental feminist movement. I personally would consider my self to be a feminnist, and to put it lightly, Ferguson’s unilateral col umn filled with eccentric and ridiculous examples filled me with intense ire and indignation. I hope that Ferguson reads this letter to perhaps shed some light on two specific topics covered in his ignorant and offensive column. First of all, as a typical feminist, I take offense when Ferguson says that “gender equity is simply a ve hicle feminists use to sell their anti-male, anti-Western culture snake oil.” Gender equity means that all people should be free of culture binding steryotypes. So, women should be allowed to become the kind of woman they wish to be, just as men should be their own kind of man. I respect and appreciate an American full-time mother as much (and sometimes more) as I would respect any working man or woman. This movement was not started so that pathetic politically- correct teachers could force boys to play with dolls or make little girls play football so that ec centrics could cheer when their efforts helped kids break down traditional roles. Susan B. Anthony started the suffrage movement so that girls would not be told they had to do all the housework (as my mother was told), so that girls would not be talked out of going to college and fulfilling dreams (as my grandmother was forced to do), and so that someday girls would not be told that “girls can’t do math” (as I was told in high school). Gender equity simply means an appreciation for every thing that a person is without discounting the ideas that break the gender barriers. Secondly, I wish to rebute Fer guson’s efforts to place the brunt of America’s educational problems on women. Ferguson stated that “because feminists infuse an ide- alogical agenda into education [this produces] classrooms of [chil dren] who cannot read or write, but instead ‘feel.’” Feminists are not the ones re sponsible for American children rating themselves as very intelli gent. It is a well-known principle world-wide that this generally over-confident feeling abounds in America; it’s part of our heritage, in fact. Remember Manifest Destiny, the Mexican-American War, both world wars, Veitnam, etc, etc. That doesn’t mean that this ego centric persona of the American public penetrates into the Ameri can classroom. Karen Kortum Class of’01 1 AiLSfOS CmW-W&n