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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1999)
'he Battalion o PINION Page 11 • Friday, April 23, 1999 love with Shakespeare mense number of Hollywood remakes proves ‘you can't get too much of a good thing' ~Virget George Lucas. Forget | H lames Cameron. There is * fcnly one true king of the cin- naland he is back and as cool From turning feminism n its ear to echoing the OJ Simp- Dn trial, this man is a storyteller tho understands the times and lieu I cure. I Did I mention he has been &ad for over 400 years? KYei' William Shakespeare is once again giving the plllwood hacks ideas for teen blockbusters. Howev- ;,poor Billy boy must be turning over in his grave to »e some of the incarnations his creations and his life ave taken. For instance, Shakespeare was in love. While takespeare is somewhat of a celebrity, is that any ■ason to broadcast his philandering ways on the big i IK[ ® :reen? He is only a playwright, not President of the nited States. And even though the movie won many do Shakespeare’s descendants feel any better lout having their dirty laundry aired out in front of 'eryone? Probably not. .Jn 1 While the details of Shakespeare’s life are one n: ling, ins plays are another thing. Hollywood has ;en enamored with filming his plays since the be- nning. However, as good as Shakespeare is, there in be too much of a good thing — Kenneth Bran- igh s rendition of “Hamlet” for example. If one can it beyond the four-hour running time, the movie is sorry, 1 could not get beyond the four hours stuck ■ a theater. " And while Shakespeare might be the bane of high hool English classes, he is a boon to companies iping to attract teenage audiences. “Romeo and Juli- ” turned into a box office bonanza thanks to Claire anes and Leonardo DiCaprio. However, Billy boy probably would have had a ird time identifying his story of teenage star-crossed lovers amidst director Baz Luhrman’s rapid-fire se quences and pulsating score. Yet, Shakespeare’s words still had the same dramatic impact of Franco Zefferelli classic version. Even if they were spoken by Leo. Shakespeare is the workhorse of the cinema and theater. No matter what age, no matter what period, Shakespearean plays are easily adaptable. But one wonders how adaptable they really can be. One had a hard time believing Keanu Reeves as villain Don John in “Much Ado About Nothing.” However, William cannot be blamed for Reeves’ dra matic shortcomings; the script can only carry so much of a scene. Taking “The Taming of a Shrew” and setting it against the background of an American high school is also workable. But taking Calista Flockhart and plac ing her in “A Midsummers Night’s Dream” — Ally McBeal meets Puck? The jury is still out on that one. When it comes down to it, Shakespeare’s plays have been so successful and lasting because they are universal in theme and exquisite in language. Shake speare had talent, and in a world full of Britney Spearses and Sylvester Stallones, talent is a refreshing thing. It is only natural for people to capitalize on something as precious as true talent. And thankfully, most of the time, cinema and the ater do it rather well. Blockbusters may come and flops may go, but true artistry is forever. Even when it is watered down and spoon-fed to the MTV generation, Shakespeare still retains its luster, the kind no actor or director can to tally dull. Perhaps if more screenwriters strived to work for quality instead of box office quantity, more classics would be created instead of duds. Because if one counts all the receipts and the awards, it is easy to see what wins out in the end. Forget the jedi. This is the return of the Bard. Manisha Parekh is a junior psychology and journalism major. Manisha PAREKH ipressn :h three .26), ft lodge (' ks plav dgeare Joey .V i-ranke unter w ia, whi Colorado school shooting result of poor parenting, lack of caring 3 Mark PASSWATERS n Apr. 20, 1999, the fac ulty and stu- ?nts of Columbine igh School in Little- ood, Colo., went to ked thool. Most of the udents were enjoy- s a sins ig themselves, as n namedle spring semester f theWefipsfcuickly slipping ggiesw toftheir rear-view mirror, whether : |The chatter was probably what you ? of the ould expect from high schoolers, talk- .g about who is involved with whom, might hat was on TV last night, and where .nidpla e bjg party was going to be on Friday, worn irsome kids, walking around in John way or Joe Sakic jerseys, the conver- tion was probably about if the Bron- s (Quarterback would return next year |pw their beloved Colorado /alanche would do in the Stanley Cup ayoffs, which started the following ght. •epair Those kids were targets. By noon on Apr. 20, 1999, the sim plistic life of these middle-class high schoolers had exploded. Fifteen of their classmates lay dead, massacred by their fellow students. For hours on end, these children cowered in corners, hoping to save their lives from members of the “Thenchcoat Mafia,” a group of outcasts that were out for revenge. The school’s daily announcements, posted on the school’s Website, remind ed children to see their counselors to in form them which colleges they had se lected. It also told the boys to register with Selective Service. By noon, these things were far from the minds of the students of Columbine High School, who could think of one thing — sur vival. All of this on Apr. 20, 1999 — the 110th anniversary of the birth of Adolf Hitler. These kids in the “Trenchcoat Mafia” were a morbid bunch. They were re ferred to as “Goths,” and put on make up like war paint. Dressed all in black, they often made comments about death and destruction. They also were White Supremacists, who had a special hatred of not only minorities, but the “jocks,” who they felt had tormented them through their first three years of high school. The “Trenchcoat Mafia” had made repeated comments about how they were going to show that they had “the power” and had told people that some thing big was going to happen on April 20. Nobody listened. As a result, these children who had been pushed down the road of torment finally jumped into the chasm of luna cy. Their cries for help — for someone to pay attention to them — finally be came screams of help from students and teachers who had been hurt in this disaster. Some people are trying to make this into a platform for more regulations on handguns. In its typical wrong-headed fashion, the Clinton Administration has already come out with new proposals on handgun legislation. Of course, the fact that these children also had bombs and were using illegally obtained automatic weapons and rifles is being ignored. What is also being ignored is that all of this could have probably been avoid ed had the parents of these children paid attention to them. Children who dress in all-black and spout Nazi propaganda are reasons for parents to be concerned, even if they do not shoot up their high school. However, it appears that in this case the parents of these kids were blissfully innocent of what had happened to their children and how they intended to get payback. American society has become too egocentric and self-absorbed. The re sults of this can be found in the hall ways of Columbine High School, where (as this is being written), the corpses of the victims still lay since the halls are booby trapped. People are always stunned about this and vow to never allow it to happen again — and then look to the govern ment to stop it. This is not the answer. Something like this can only be stopped by average citizens. In 1992, the media and the Clinton/Gore campaign mocked Presi dent George Bush when he talked about a return to “Family Values.” By 1996, the concept did not seem so absurd. Even though both parties claim to embrace “Family Values,” this event shows that it really does not mat ter what the politicians say as long as the people do not follow suit. Maybe this is the prodding that the nation needs. Our children need people that are willing to listen to them, to hear their pleas for attention. America needs to listen to its young, to care-to simply give a damn. Then, and only then, will these disasters cease. Mark Passwaters is a graduate electrical engineering student. leaders discuss Jttleton shooting j response to Caleb Mc- e/’s Apr. 21 opinion column. As usual I have to disagree . another Caleb McDaniel ar- 4lW Although he made some very lid points as to why the agedy in Colorado occurred — )or parenting and society’s opensity for macabre enter- inment — again he missed m e main point. I Guns are not the problem, lople are the problem. Crimi- als who use guns to commit I Ul'jf imes will get guns whether or at law-abiding citizens can. ^All laws that restrict access "" Jguns will do is leave people tthe mercy of those that go round the system instead of trough it. ||This problem is not going to e|solved by more laws and reg- Islions. The only thing that is going to averse this growing epidemic is II hanging society’s basic values. |■■need to value the sanctity of '/ fe and the importance of par- fiing. ^Jarents need to actually par- int instead of expecting our ed- pational system to teach and fj^krture our children. f(ir l»i4 I do not know what is going to w ii,iii dring about the needed jpnaP langes, but I hope this tragedy m open people’s eyes to the 1,11 r eality of this problem and the MAIL CALL underlying issues. One of these issues is not gun control. Jana Page Class of ’99 If McDaniel believes adding an other anti-Second Amendment law to the other 20,000 gun con trol laws, he is sadly mistaken. Everything these boys did was prohibited by harsh anti-gun laws, yet it did nothing to stop them.McDaniel should note that: True “assault rifles” have been outlawed since the 1930’s. Sawed-off shotguns are al ready illegal. Pipe bombs are already illegal. Carrying a gun on school prop erty is already illegal. It is already illegal for minors to buy guns. Murder, obviously, is already il legal. Rather than place the blame on an inanimate object and pro ject himself as intellectually supe rior to those who forged a system of constitutional state craft which has made the United States the most powerful and productive na tion the world has ever known, McDaniel should have looked into the real cause of this tragedy, a lack of a solid moral foundation. By all accounts the “Trench coat Mafia” described itself as atheists, Satan-worshippers and bisexual. In fact, the gunmen walked up to one young lady, and asked her, “Do you believe in God?” When she looked them in the eyes and answered "Yes, I do,” they shot her in the head and laughed. This is the result of a culture of death and violence which mocks God, mocks morality and relishes hate, sexual deviancy and the oc cult. This should be a time of prayer, spiritual reflection and an opportunity for this nation to reaf firm its Christian heritage rather than serve as a platform for those on the Left who believe our nation and our freedom are a mis take, and who ghoulishly await horror like this to advance their in tellectually and morally shallow anti-Second Amendment agenda. McDaniel, consider our painful moral crisis and stop using this tragedy for leftist gains. Donny Ferguson Houston, Texas I completely agree with Mc Daniel’s view on regulation of firearms and weapons in America. I also share his overwhelming sor row for what our society has be come, as reflected by recent events. However, I would like to encour age McDaniel and his readers not to look at the world and our soci ety in particular so dismally. There are many parts of our so ciety that I would be happy to change. However, it is hard to mo tivate oneself to work toward a change when the world is por trayed in such a dim light. Horrible atrocities such as the Colorado shooting occur in our world every so often, and we defi nitely should work to prevent these occurrences. I would like to point out though, that there are many won derful occurrences every day that do not make the headlines: giving, helping, etc. We need to hold onto these events so as not to lose hope. They are the fabric which binds us together as a people. The tragedies only remind us of what a world is like without them. Sarah Hutchison Class of '00 Abridging rights harmful to citizens In response to Lisa Foox’s Apr. 20 column. “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...” Apparently the founding fa thers held the freedom of free thought very highly or they would not put it in the Constitution. Now we jump ahead two cen turies to the present. Yes, things have changed and there are prob lems now that were not around when the Constitution was writ ten. That still, however, does not mean it is okay to meddle with the Constitution for the sake of racism, bigotry or any other thought “crime” that is what its name implies, just a thought. I do not agree with the ignorance that these people display, but when our government begins to legis late our individual thoughts we have indeed entered a scary new chapter in American history. Foox wants to legislate the freedom of speech and press to get rid of supposed thought “crimes.” If the government is al lowed to do this, what is to stop it from legislating other aspects of speech and press or other as pects of our inalienable rights such as freedom of religion. The recurring theme here is thought. What good is thought without the freedom to express it? You cannot legislate what a person thinks and creating laws that simply stop them from ex pressing these views still will not change the way they feel. It is a task accomplished through edu cation, not oppression of the ig norant and those around them. Making certain types of speech illegal would not only prove to be a fruitless endeavor but would also be a direct viola tion of the First Amendment. Once exceptions are made to the rule, they will never stop and that is why the First Amendment must be held up absolutely, no matter how good a change may seem at the time. Shane Rotter Class of ’01 The glaring fallacies of Foox’s arguments demonstrate the igno rant generalizations from dismiss ing ideas without thorough study. Foox’s Hitler-like accusations and advocacy of Gestapo tactics of punishing those exercising free speech makes one wonder which one point of view has more to lose from open discussion. David Duke, however, welcomes debate; he writes, “I have no fear of free speech because I truly be lieve my position is consistent, factual and defensible. Of course, others are trying to limit freedom of speech. They are like witnesses who cannot stand the exposure of cross examination.” Finally, Foox’s policy towards the suppression of historical de bate is already law in Europe. A 78-year-old Swiss author was re cently imprisoned for the “thought crime” of merely implying that parts of the Holocaust was exag gerated. And how does all of this relate to Texas A&M University? The Evans Library collection of Holocaust literature presents both sides of the issue, and I am proud to attend a world class university that leaves students free to find the truth on their own. Israel Morrison 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 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: batt@tamvml.tamu.edu