[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 _ , ,
â– 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
â– 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 â–  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.
â–ºuse
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