The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, December 07, 1998, Image 11

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    iBattalion
inion
Page 11 • Monday, December?, 1998
Blood, guts and ratings
television outlets broadcast sensational, damaging images to garner viewers
STEWART
PATTON
L ast week, 22.4 million
people tuned in to
“60 Minutes” to view
Heotape of Dr. Jack
Ivorkian administering a
Hi dose of potassium
pride to a man with Lou
g’s disease,
is sad episode in
|aerican society is the lat-
tixample of the mass
edia pushing the limits of human decency.
Television producers of yesteryear raised
itings during November sweeps week by
rowing Sam proposing to Diane or by air-
iga particularly touching episode of
Igriily Matters.” As the millennium draws
i a close, it seems the only way to get peo-
ie’s attention is to show the death of an-
Jher human being.
Hint media have largely missed the
oint — to air or not to air is not the ques-
on. It is a sad comment on society the
Hucers of “60 Minutes” would even
Dirsider running a tape of a man dying,
■he history of the media’s display of
ufageous material is much like the story
(the chicken and the egg. Did television
Hucers start airing salacious material
■then society came to accept it, or did
Hass media simply fill a need they per-
eiyed in society?
■he answer, of course, lies somewhere
1 the middle. The power to end the down-
rafid spiral, however, rests in the hands of
te media.
Hmed with a confused notion of
iolrnalistic integrity,” the media are un-
riling to halt the parade of filth. In an
iterview after the broadcast, Mike Wal-
ice, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, said,
H it off if you don’t like it — this is
/hat death looks like.”
r Wallace implies Americans cannot un-
erstand a complex issue without seeing
te actual event take place. It is a shame he
• probably correct.
H/ith children’s programming like “Bar
ley and modern teaching practices, chil-
Iren are taught at an early age that leani
ng must be fun. The need to actually see
bivent take place is the adult version of
his early childhood lesson.
he hallmark of television news is
ing film of the event. A report about
Jest in Israel must be accompanied by
jures of a mob attacking an Israeli sol-
During the Persian Gulf War, the
tly news showed the damage inflicted
Strategic bombing.
Most Americans do not read a daily
ROBERT HYNECEK/The Battalion
newspaper. Therefore, the average Joe has
never developed the ability to digest print
information. Americans often have a hard
time understanding complex issues with
out visual stimulus because they have nev
er had to.
Television news should police itself
and draw a line of human decency it will
not cross. Even if Americans want to see
videotape of a man dying, the mass me
dia should realize that the indecency of
showing the tape would outweigh any in
formational benefit.
The ultimate answer to this issue and
many others is Americans must learn to
think for themselves. If one wants to un
derstand euthanasia, he or she can read
a book or an article about all of the is
sues involved and then determine his or
her stance.
There really is no moral to this story.
Americans want to see an event happening
because they believe one cannot under
stand it otherwise, and television produc
ers will air anything they think people
want to see. In place of a moral, a lingering
malaise should leave a bad taste in the
mouth of those concerned with the social
health of the nation.
It is completely ludicrous to argue the
airing of the videotape constitutes news.
Kevorkian already has helped dozens of
'earl Harbor Day offers opportunity to appreciate changing world
DAVE
JOHNSTON
lorty-seven
years ago
today,
Sanese mili-
leaders per-
[ally invited
United States
|oin a war. A
png world
r, actually.
|The early-
ning assault on the U.S. naval
e at Pearl Harbor was a shock-
event most young Americans
er will be able to comprehend,
[with many other pieces of his-
, the reality of Peal Harbor
the effects of its attack may
ost to the ages unless young
ericans work to preserve their
tonal heritage.
he global setting has changed
ically since 1941. Americans
longer fear bomb-bearing bal-
oons floating across the Atlantic
Kansas group
naligns Baptists
|As a Baptist, it is irritating and
Ibarrassing to be associated
pomatically with the Disney boy-
ters, the heartless jerks picket-
Jwith “AIDS Cures Fags” signs
[Matthew Shepard’s funeral
f more recently, the Baptist
tup from Topeka, Kan., who
btested at the Kansas State vs.
ras A&M game.
It is always the loud, obnox-
|is, self-righteous minority who
pkes the rest of us look bad. I
j not condone homosexuality
Realise I believe the Bible tells
lit is a sin. However, that does
mean I hate homosexuals,
ttred is a sin, too. Therefore, I
|nnot see how this church
3up can actually call them-
flves Christians while spouting
: such hate-filled nonsense.
I do not recall Jesus ever call-
S anyone names. He taught
liristians to love the sinner, and
Ocean. The greatest U.S. concerns
regarding Japan center upon the
island nation’s economy and how
the ally’s finances might impact
American markets.
Americans born after the sec
ond World War have never felt a
threat to their national sovereign
ty — unless you count a small,
Mideast country banning Ameri
can weapons inspectors.
The world — and America’s
place in it — is starkly different
than it was when most Aggies’
parents or grandparents were
growing up. Unfortunately, this
means many young people take
their blessings for granted.
It is sometimes surprising how
quickly events disappear from the
public consciousness. Although
most Aggies were dramatically af
fected by the 1986 Challenger dis
aster, within the next few years
the University will begin admit-
hate the sin. This church group is
sadly mistaken if they feel they
are doing God’s will. It is people
like this who make me ashamed
to call myself a Baptist.
Jennifer Maddox
Class of '02
Confederate flags
bother student
Browsing through the Aggie
Moms’ craft boutiques in the
MSC, I noticed a large box of
handcrafted Confederate flags,
nestled right next to the Christ
mas ornaments.
The Aggie Moms are a beloved
and valuable part of the Aggie tra
dition, and I appreciate their sale
of Bonfire- and Muster-related
crafts, which are designed to pro
mote Aggie unity. However, it is dif
ficult for me to see the positive
value of fund raising by way of divi
sive and offensive Confederate
flags offered for sale alongside
ting freshmen who do not even
remember the incident.
Too often, however, people
consider an event less real or
less important if they cannot
personally remember it or did
not feel any direct impact from
it. It is an unfortunate mistake.
History studies normally rely
on texts presenting world events
through a detached narrative.
With this view, much of histo
ry’s value is lost. Instead, the
memories and experiences of in
dividuals who lived through his
toric events should be collected
and cherished. The emotions
that accompanied major mo
ments in history should be
recorded as well. Just as impor
tant as the events in America’s
history are the feelings of Ameri
cans who experienced those mo
ments firsthand.
Sure, Neil Armstrong was the
MAIL CALL
those memorabilia.
It was especially embarrassing
that the large choir of elementary-
school children who were singing
in the Flagroom might have seen
the flags and associated them
with our school.
I am sure this particular
chapter of Aggie Moms did not
realize what the sale of these
flags suggests about the social
attitudes of Aggies. Perhaps
they were simply not aware of
the negative connotations of
the flags — the only alternative
being they simply do not care
and are indifferent to the siz
able group of us at this school
who see the Confederate flag
as an oppressive symbol of
more than the “good ol’ South.”
When asked why they were
selling Confederate flags, the
Aggie Moms said they were not
meant to be symbols of racism.
This confirms the moms meant
no harm. But if you must con
stantly explain your motives for
selling a controversial symbol
you know offends a large group
first person to set foot on the
moon, but it is also important to
remember millions of Americans
watched every second of the un
folding drama. The nation came to
a virtual stop when president John
F. Kennedy was assassinated. An
event that is today the subject of
conspiracy theories and ridicule
deeply impacted the entire nation
only a few decades ago.
In a sense, the emotions make
these events so significant. This
nation is defined by the experi
ences that brought the country to
gether. Attitudes and policies are
shaped by those experiences.
Unlike many of these shaping
events, Americans recognize Pearl
Harbor Day each year. This pro
vides an opportunity to look back
at the event and the era in which
it occurred. Younger generations
rarely take advantage of such op
portunities, though they should.
of people, it is better not to sell
it at all. Otherwise, you risk guilt
by association.
Sarah D. Forbey
Class of '00
Many overreact to
Bonfire comment
I applaud Dan Campbell. Until
letters were printed in The Battalion
and a concern voiced by Dr.
Southerland, I heard nothing but
positive reactions to the now infa
mous joke. Tens of thousands of
whoops at Bonfire agree.
I think everyone needs recog
nize the reason he made the
comment was to defile t-sips,
not homosexuals.
A school so proud of tradition
should keep in mind one of the
greatest American and Texas Aggie
traditions — the football rivalry.
Our football rivalry with t.u. en
compasses more than 100 years
and a ludicrous amount of jokes.
Older Americans can offer a
truly unique view of history to
anyone willing to spend the
time to listen. The valuable as
set of recalled experiences will
be lost eventually.
Pearl Harbor Day provides a
good excuse for learning more
about how the attack affected
Americans. Most Aggies know
someone who lived through
World War II who remembers
hearing about the surprise attack.
Ask them where they were when
they heard the news. Ask them
what they felt. Ask them how the
world has changed.
The answers may be surpris
ing. You may find a greater ap
preciation for the current world
situation — a world of security
and opportunity.
Dave Johnston is a senior
‘ mathematics major.
Should we now examine our
thoughts towards mothers, mas
cots and a host of other references
in our century of joke-telling? No.
It was a joke, and those Ags in
attendance with me at the game in
Austin can attest to the fact Camp
bell’s was much tamer than those
that we endured involving various
farm animals.
Thanks, Dan, for keeping the ri
valry strong.
Keith Franks
Class of '00
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
77843-1111.
Campus Mail: 1111
Fax: (409) 845-2647
JEFF
WEBB
patients commit suicide and has been ar
rested several times.
The only news the tape shows is old
news. Is it any wonder, then, that “60
Minutes” waited until sweeps week to
display it?
Another threshold has been crossed by
the American mass media, and there is no
turning back. The falcon cannot hear the
falconer — news programs in the years to
come will undoubtedly display increasing
ly grotesque video under the guise of ad
vancing a national debate.
Stewart Patton is a senior
sociology major.
BCS system
fails to solve
football woes
S ome joke
the Bowl
Champi
onship Series
rankings — the
great college
football Wizard
of Oz, combining
computer rank
ings, football
polls and sched
uling — needs to lose the middle
letter of its abbreviation to have
an accurate moniker.
But it seems the archaic fanta
sy system it uses to determine a
national champion would be bet
ter represented by dropping the
“S” to leave the letters “B.C.”
Roy Kramer, associate commis
sioner of the Southeastern Confer
ence and the BCS chair, said he
will evaluate his BCS brainchild
for possible changes after the
1999 national championship
game, the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe,
Ariz., has been played.
Kramer will have a lot of ad
justments to make to his system.
In the most recent BCS stand
ings, which are used only to de
termine the Fiesta Bowl
matchups for the national
championship, Kansas State
University, which lost in the Big
12 Championship game 36-33 in
double overtime, still ranks
third in the all-encompassing
system. Yet the Kansas State
Wildcats find themselves rele
gated to the Alamo Bowl after a
one-loss season.
For many, college football is
life, and no one said life is fair.
But the easy answer to the nation
al-championship quandary is a
playoff system. No guaranteed
berths for conference champions
— just the top eight teams in col
lege football slugging it out for the
ultimate prize.
The BCS automatic bids go to
the conference champions of
the Big 12, Atlantic Coast Con
ference, SEC, PAC 10, Big 10 and
Big East. Syracuse University
occupies a spot in the Orange
Bowl that should go to a higher-
ranked team.
However, because of the deal
between the four BCS bowls and
the respective conferences, Syra-
cuse gets an automatic bid despite
its No. 15 ranking in the BCS, No.
18 ranking in the Associated Press
Poll and No. 17 ranking in the
ESPN/Coaches Poll.
This year, Miami and Texas
A&M prevented a roaring debate
over which teams deserved a
spot in the Fiesta Bowl. After un-
beatens UCLA and Kansas State
fell, only the University of Ten
nessee and Tulane University
possess unblemished records.
However, last season’s joint na
tional championship between
University of Nebraska and Uni
versity of Michigan left college
football fans unsatisfied.
Perhaps with an 8-team play
off, even Tulane — which went
undefeated in a relatively weak
conference — would get a
chance to play against the big
names in college football.
As in all major collegiate
sports, money seems to be the
biggest roadblock for a playoff
system. Bowl representatives
say the first-round games,
which would be rotated among
different bowl games, would not
make as much money because
fans of highly ranked teams
would save their money and
only attend later games.
But the national attention re
served for each game, which
would have most of the national
viewing audience, would make a
boatload of money.
For those who say a playoff
system would drag out too long,
most football teams, like A&M,
play 14'games including confer
ence championship and bowl
games. Cutting out one regular-
season game for college teams
should resolve the complaint. If
the length of the season is a con
cern, how does Division I-AA
schedule their playoff system? It
can work.
Of course, if the playoff system
is accepted by conference com
missioners and bowl representa
tives, college football fans will
lose the most spirited season of
the football schedule — the off
season arguments.
Jeff Webh is a senior
journalism major