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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1998)
[he Battalion inion Page 7 • Friday, November 13, 1998 It’s a surreal world after all Revision show broadcasts personal lives, manufactures conflict, plays to base interests L ESTATE M MATES >drm/3bath house 0 3-5633. maracuctet >d. 4Mfm'2l)a: Jan.'99. Near ca-:. ELIZABETH STRAIT nyone who watches MTV is : pbdrm/ibatti cr.* JLprobably guilty of g 9 37P3 lupCSla( * 1 pming in to shows like ^^he Real World.” Usu ally, however, when Someone else walks into e room, a “Real odd” viewer will uickly change the nmate 3bdr m ~ C ,^ nnel and Pretend iSpnng, ca - they were not watching it. Ironically, if the name Puck is men- Jioned to people between the ages of and 24, most will immediately re- .•.. ; ) member him as the super-obnoxious 4062 Juy on “The Real World” a few sea- • spnng Mrfe'Bons back. Puck was the fellow every- um @255-3268 B np loved tQ hate r spring. 2bdrm.lli« p or w j 10 are not f am iliar with iw asap' Real World,” it is MTV’s version n. 695-0215. Jf a documentary. The show follows a >ec. Jan. 3Mr->,:Broup of people picked by show pro- S3oomo. pus - : H ucers to live and work together for six lionths so viewers can learn what hap- ‘stop being nice and 696-6259. spring. The Arbors _ , , ■ens when people 19 only 3b<r Jtart getting real.” stacy@778-001; E xhe problem with the contrived ?bdrm2baih ^|how is it is often anything but real. Andrea,694 ^ jg j u g t one exam pl e 0 f the SterCO- pical personality types that appear on ■he show each season. Every cast has lie naive virgin, the obnoxious freak, |he busybody who snoops in everyone’s usiness and the ladies’ man, as well as few other stereotypes. Then the pieces of these people’s |ives that include clashing, stereotypical ersonality types are manipulated into different scenes. The show even has a irector, destroying any illusion of im promptu interaction. Although the theory behind the show is logical, it is not plausible. When a bunch of people with conflicting per sonalities are stuck in a house together with a director and a ton of cameras watching them 24 hours a day for six months, the results will be nothing but prefabricated drama. It will be no differ ent from a typical soap opera or an episode of “The Jerry Springer Show.” The people at MTV are attempting to tap into the lifestyles and behavior of young adults in America, and they are doing a pretty shabby job. “The Real World” depicts young adults as lazy, self- absorbed misfits whose main concern is finding a date for Saturday night. Most young adults in America have far more important things to worry about — like getting through college, finding a job and paying bills. Most young people are not living in a fancy house they do not have to pay for, lying around in bed all day crying over their roommate’s battle with Lyme dis ease. They do not have the luxury of sit ting around and reflecting about how their recent trip to Nepal helped them discover their inner self. “The Real World” has been a suc cess, and there is a reason why. MTV has found a way to appeal to basic hu man nature and cash in on it. “The Real World” allows anyone who can af ford cable to become a voyeur in his or her own living room. People are curi ous about how other people behave behind closed doors. Thanks to MTV, viewers can turn on the television and see other “real” peo ple behaving badly, which seems to be a prerequisite for being on “The Real World.” Viewers then can feel better about their shortcomings because those kids on “The Real World” are doing something equally bad or worse. Or, on the other extreme, they can feel good because their life is so much more func tional than “The Real World” cast’s. They can be glad they are mature enough not to hit their roommates dur ing an argument. In some ways MTV may be doing young people a service by giving them an example of how not to behave, but they are doing a disservice by perpetuating stereotypes that simply do not ring true. When it comes down to it, MTV is do- ROBERT HYNECEK/The Battalion ing its job — entertaining people and mak ing money. But maybe they should consid er making money off some of the positive attributes of young Americans, rather than consistently exhibiting the negative ones. Elizabeth Strait is a junior journalism major. ays do not deserve minority status .p.H Close lo caw- Call Paige to ^ n/1 balh with fOOiP' gs. i. Share 0-acres. Goodt' 1 nation- /ICES ving. Lots-ofM ranee discount- Fri(6pm-8pih) $ n). Inside Nat** sh. Lowest pm**; 1 !17. 846-611? ORS STEWART PATTON ouston po lice offi cers arrest ed two men recently for al legedly violating the “homosexual conduct” section of the Texas pe nal code after they were found engaging in a sexual act. The district attorney’s office hould choose not to prosecute the case because it could set a danger ous precedent toward granting ho mosexuals minority status. It is appalling that in the ’90s consenting adults would be arrest ed for private acts, even if many Americans find the acts repulsive. The problem with this case is homosexuals are eager to use it as a test case to gain rights that fall outside of the protections afford- |ed by the Constitution. Houston Council member An- nise Parker said, “We [homosexu als] have frankly been looking for a test case, and this sort of fell in our laps.” The ultimate goal of many gay- rights proponents is to gain official minority status. With such status, sexual orientation could be a part i of affirmative-action programs or 3 — be a factor in hiring decisions. ndorsementsi o dent Distribute ■ The reason homosexuals have not gained minority status is the test of incommutability. The Supreme Court has ruled a group cannot be classified as a minority unless it is impossible for a mem- iber to leave the group or a non- [member to join the group. FLOSS ors also needed -- Recently the Exodus Project, which offers counseling to indi viduals who wish to leave the gay lifestyle, has focused attention on many people who formerly prac ticed homosexuality and no longer do so. It does not matter that some argue the Exodus Project is wrong or even unsuccessful. The fact that individuals exist who believe they used to be homosexuals and now believe they are not shows homosexuality is not an incom mutable condition. Gay-rights proponents have been vocal about their belief ho mosexuals are born with those ten dencies and cannot change. Despite the many dollars spent in research, however, there is no scientific proof people are born with their sexual orientation. The much-touted study showing a mild difference between the brains of homosexual men and heterosexual men has been discounted by main stream science because the re searcher studied only homosexual men who died of AIDS. Homosexual-rights advocates also argue no one would choose to engage in a lifestyle that is not accepted by society. They believe a person would not choose to be ostracized because of his or her sexual preference. However, people choose many behaviors they know society does not approve of — such as smok ing, attending class naked (as a California student did) or engaging in sex with a socially-inappropriate partner (an intern, for example). Therefore, homosexuality must be regarded as a behavior one can choose (albeit subcon sciously) and not a condition to which one is born. The danger with the Houston case is a higher court could rule discrimination against homosexu als is so severe the only remedy is to designate homosexuals as an official minority. The recent mur der of a homosexual college stu dent in Wyoming undoubtedly adds weight to this argument. Texas sodomy law threatens civil rights W elcome to Texas, where the men are men, and men who like men go to jail. Sounds a little' stereotypical and antiquated, right? Unfortunately, as recent develop ments in Houston have shown, it is quite true. MANISHA PAREKH The solution to this case and to discrimination against homo sexuals in general is not to indict the two men. The Texas Legisla ture could then repeal the law quietly and not set a precedent to ward declaring homosexuals an official minority. In this manner, society would allow consenting adults to engage in any sexual practice whatsoever without setting a precedent for the unconstitutional designation of homosexuals as a minority. Stewart Patton is a senior sociology major. ►use rents Afford It All! alk to Camp 11 ' Mans Avails^ ubroom itrol Leasing , ?v as $39) -5707 George Busli ^t/treehwssri On Sept. 17, two men were ar rested in a private Houston apart ment and charged with homosex ual conduct because they were having consensual sex. What makes the arrest unbe lievable is the law the men were charged under is not a long-for gotten relic of a bygone era; it was last modified in 1995, only three years ago. And unlike the other states that still have sodomy laws on the books, Texas’ law differs in one important way: it is pure discrimination. The other states’ sodomy laws Football fans hide from bad weather This past weekend the Texas Ag gie football team thoroughly trounced the University of Okla homa. It was one of the most domi nant defensive performances I have ever witnessed. However, it was a shame I could not celebrate with other Aggies at the game because everybody left at halftime. We had hardly enough fans there to fill a high-school stadium for the remaining 30 minutes of the game. It seems poor weather caused a great number of Ags to sit this one out. This was bad bull, Ags. The 12th Man seems to think if it is not 80 degrees outside or we are not playing the No. 2-ranked team, our attendance is not re quired. I do not recall seeing an asterisk next to the duties of the 12th Man stating, “Aggies are not required to attend a game when the weather is poor or we are play- make it illegal for anyone to en gage in oral or anal sex. In Texas, it is perfectly legal for a heterosexual couple to engage in oral or anal sex, but it is a class C misdemeanor for a homosexual couple to do the same thing. It is nice to know equality un der the law has a special provi sion in Texas. Homosexual rights groups have rallied in support of the ar rested men. Houston Council member Annise Parker — herself a lesbian — has voiced her hope the two men will go to court in an attempt to get the 119-year-old law declared unconstitutional. There have been two attempts to challenge the law in recent years, but neither cases made it to the Texas Supreme Court because of legal technicalities. This case, however, may be the key to overturning the discrimina tory and outdated law. Some critics charge attacking the law is pointless and would be a waste of taxpayers’ money be cause the law is seldom enforced. Although the number of people charged under the sodomy law is small, the law does lead to sever al consequences. First, because homosexual sex — and only homosexual sex — is against the law, many cases of child custody and adoption are argued on the basis that one par ent (or possible parent) is an ac tive criminal. Making a child- welfare decision based on only that one factor can lead to disas trous results. Secondly, homosexuals can be MAIL CALL ing a bad team.” Maybe I missed this at Howdy Camp. Ags, the point is we need to go out there and give as much in the stands as the football team does on the field. We need to yell, scream and cheer until we cannot muster another sound — all Ag gies, current students and alumni. I hope each one of us can get up on Saturday morning and give 110 percent in the stands against Missouri. Adam D. Aaseby Class of ’00 Aggie team needs student support I would like to encourage all of the fans to wear maroon to the Missouri game on Saturday. I have been very happy to see people wearing either their event shirt or another maroon shirt at subsequent football games. It is our responsibility as mem- denied jobs because they are “breaking the law. ” Dallas resident Mica England discovered this when she was denied a job with the Dallas Police Department be cause a person engaging in a crime cannot be hired as a police officer. England sued and won the case in trial court and the court of appeals. Of course, the fight to overturn the law will not be an easy. The party of Gingrich (the Republican party), has supported the law and, according to Conservative Republicans of Harris County President Dr. Steven Hotze, the party will continue to do so. “The law teaches people what’s right and what’s wrong,” Hotze said, “and I think a major ity of the populace would say that behavior (homosexual acts) is unacceptable.” Well, along those lines, body piercing, sex-change operations and rainbow hair should be ille gal. But no one would consider banning any of those. So why ban homosexual sex? According to the penal code it is one form of “deviate sexual intercourse.” And for that rea son, this is a case that should be watched closely by all groups. If Texas can discriminate against homosexuals for their “deviate” sexual conduct, it might just be a matter of time before every thing except the missionary posi tion is illegal. Sound farfetched? So does the Texas sodomy law. Manisha Parekh is a junior psychology and journalism major. bers of the 12th Man to support our team. Wearing maroon, waving our 12th Man towels and yelling our hearts out at the game cre ates an atmosphere that intimi dates our opponents and gives the Aggies on the field enthusi asm and encouragement. When we all come together, we can achieve anything. Maroon out Missouri, Aggies. Anne Hoar Class of ’01 The Battalion encourages letters to the ed 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 77843-1.111. Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647
