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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2000)
Fr ay, February 11,2(XX) OPINION THE BATTALION Pa ^‘ 9 uuuw. n ad). This rate appfe; get an additional 5 uled to end to quai 3T& FOUND One mans mission for Vf 3ELLANEOUS ing (o' witness lb 7 at approx d University (i i with MYBY7H: CO ot tTORCYCLE itch Maddox, 26, was a mild- mannered computer systems manager until last tall, when had an idea. 1 le would spend the year i )00 confined to a Dallas townhouse, ithout ever setting foot outside the ant door or backyard. MUSIC ERSONAL iow'd they meet 7 six degrees sbowec PETS AL ESTATE He wanted to move into the place ith only a laptop computer and the othes on his back, buying everything se he needed — furniture, food and fun — over the Inter- 1 On January 1,2000, Maddox became DotComGuy. No, really — DotComGuy is his name, l ie had it legally ranged. The world can read all about it on his official Web- te, as well as watch live shots from 26 cameras scattered iroughout his home. DotComGuy talks about his eccentric experiment with ro- antic zeal. Lofty nuggets of wisdom such as “explore the p ssibilities" and “come along lor the ride" litter the official |icbsite. He seems to style himsell as one of the last true cm- - sacrificing himself to help others free their Internet naginations from the shackles of brick-and-mortar shopping. But the real reasons for the site's existence are decidedly tore banal they have to do with the bottom line. Dot- omGuy is being supplied with sponsorships by nearly iery "dot com" under the sun. and it is clear they are in it f' r the advertising potential. Literally everything about DotComGuy's world is infused ith marketing ploys. Online companies are moving heaven td earth (not to mention chunks of cash) to claim DotComGuy i a customer. His daily journal is a carefully woven web of nks to e-lailers. The ads which tire never more than an eye itch away — gleef ully capitalize on DotComGuy's celebrity. The media windfall over the DotComGuy project has been §venmore massiv e than the commercial circus. Despite all pre- nses to the contrary . DotComGuy does not live an ordinary fe, nonnal in ev cry way except for the places where he shops. His dailv schedule consists almost exclusively of ordering rport. large fenced 5 S404 696-9156 -experiment.com/isabadidea online publicity underlines troubles with society sets a bad example groceries online or conducting interviews with media repre sentatives. Journalists have not been slow to exploit the ready made headlines in DotComGuy’s story. In reality', DotComGuy’s idealism is tarnished by two negative consequences of his life on the Web. First of all, the last thing the world needs is another invi tation to unrestrained shopping. DotComGuy is a monument to consumerism, and there is little doubt that much of the ap peal of his story' is in the idea of moving into a house and having nothing to do but fill it w ith “things." The Dot ComGuy manifesto is that everything money can buy is right at his fingertips, and this motto is not far from saying that everything at his fingertips should be bought. However, unbridled spending can do far-reaching social damage, although Internet retailers are certainly not the only ones to blame for shoving the need to “buy, buy, buy” deep into the American subconscious. But DotComGuy proves that the Internet is quickly becoming an altar to easy gratifi cation of every material w ant. “One-click” impulse buying is all the rage, and the world is quickly becoming cluttered w ith things it does not need. The amount of money spent by “dot com" companies on Super Bowl commercials shows just how misplaced con sumer values have become. Think about how many people w ho have never even seen a computer could have been fed with the several million dollars spent on a 30-second ad for Petopia.com. DotComGuy's vision is also unsettling for a second rea son. His success would only confirm the fear that as techno logical capabilities become more wide open, households might become more closed. “E-commerce can provide any thing you could ever ask for. and you'd never have to leave home,” DotComGuy claims on his Website. But the question of w hether such a life should be considered desirable is ignored. The truth is that a life lived entirely online would be nowhere as glamorous as DotComGuy’s limelight existence. If an admirer tried to even partially re-create his experiment, there would be no cameras. There would be no interviews with National Public Radio. There would be no sponsor ships. There would only be a very lonely person. DotComGuy’s faceless followers show that some people in the world may not be far from this bleak seclusion. The celebrity receives thou sands of email messages every day, and there are people following his movements on the Web cameras almost around the clock. Chat rooms devoted to talking to and about DotComGuy are rarely empty. But how exciting is the prospect of a soci ety where people sit in their rooms all day chat ting to strangers about some guy who does noth ing but sit in his room all day? However, these obser vations should not leave people w ith the impres sion that the Internet is a Pandora’s box of evils. Unrestrained con sumerism is not the inex orable result of electronic commerce, and innova tion does not have to cause isolation. But if DotComGuy is to be believed, the ability to spend a year alone with the Internet would be a pinnacle of human achievement. Whether e-commerce really is such an unquali fied triumph, however, does not seem as clear. Caleb McDaniel is a junior history major. Matt Rov/The Battalion iOMMATES >d til August Fi Underground walkway serves the wrong people p' »9 «T3bdmviail 8*7 Dackyri l/3bills 76V1W s 4bdim/4btY W& U™ all lor more c)et«te68(Mr!6 nediately. $200 dsposit. Si @775-2196 ASAP 1 Cali Joel no* ERVICES SCORE GUARANTEED 1 nstruction 7764-0080. ne would believe dial as an academic institution, the pri- tnary concern of Texas A&M would be to facili tate the education of its students. But a recent plan ;o construct an under ground pedestrian pas sageway linking main and iVest campus seems to focus more on getting e Driving Lo.S-of-fun ^ t() ^ ^ ^ l0 c , ass urance discount. M- i.&Sat - Fri(6pm-8pm) SSi 2:30pm). Inside Banl# $25/cash Lowest priced . Ste 217 846-6117 ' 1017). des/Grooms! I address 3 Call 485-0490. i live? www.housinglOI 'r TRAVEL Individuals who have crossed Wellborn load are well aware of the hassle and hazard it resents. Trains, crosswalks and late buses are ust a few of the West campus obstacles that im )ede student’s timely irrival to classes. A pedestrian pas- ageway running under Wellborn Road and the Please call Joe 1 Jentexpress.com rnSJSSff! Jnion Pacific railroad •sod-^racks has been suggest- :d as a convenient and expedient way to travel lack and forth between he two campuses. ing break Potrero CW ides and equipment pro** 1 ittours.com I Break!! Luxury townhoo* iver, Angel Fire, Rio Cos# n at 846-8916. All the info you need. Pans’ -SouthPadre. www.yoi' ■outh Padre Island from Si: Best Oceanfront hoteS 5 anteedl www.breakersK' GHT LOSS lbs. in 30 days. 800-571- 7 Having trouble staying TRIM -"generic Metaboi’ sliveryl Cash/checks/cca* 6 ght rimended, #1 in Europe* 5 899 ISIb.l! TWINLAB al. Call for free sample ^ se@tyler.net LION / 9 call 9 Judging by the location of the walkway, it seems the designers are ignoring the needs of students trying to get to class. Original plans for the passageway called for wo tunnels to be built: one running parallel to oe Routt Boulevard connecting the Kyle Field ’laza and the new parking garage (which will he ocated across from the Student Recreation Cen- :er) and another tunnel closer to Old Main Road, iowever, due to financial constraints, only the lassageway along Joe Routt will be constructed text fall. Judging by the location of the walkway, t seems the designers are ignoring the need of tudents trying to get to class. Though the administration views the Joe foutt placement as beneficial to students, the wanted: 43 peef#‘ lassageway would be positioned much closer to ithletic complexes than academic buildings, inking main campus to Kyle Field, Olsen Jaseball Field, Reed Arena and at least four other athletic complexes, the passageway would >e an ideal transit system for athletic functions. Exiting from the Northern end of the tunnel, one arrives at at Kyle Field, a structure that stands empty.except for several weekends in the fall. On the other side of Wellborn, the walkway would open to a large, cement parking garage surrounded by lots that are vacated by students during football games. And for a few days out of the year an abundance of alumni would pass through the tunnel, glad to avoid the busy street and Union Pacific railroad tracks stu dents face regularly. A Joe Routt passageway will do exactly what the administration claims — get students to their cars. But students trying to attend class es are still left in a life-sized game of Frogger. The four lanes of traffic and the railroad tracks would not be so intrusive except that long trains do pass through campus, and train cars have been known to stop on the tracks. Because of these obstacles students may actually be late to class es on both West and main campus. West campus is ex- panding too rapidly for the administration to ig nore the need for a passageway which would fa cilitate students. Classes mid entire departments have relocated to West campus, and the main artery between those classes and others is Old Main Road. Traveling from Kleberg Center or the Wehner College of Business Building to die Aca demic Building, the straightest route would cross Wellborn al Old Main, not Joe Routt. More buildings will be constructed on West campus and a greater number of students will cross Wellborn Road to get to and from their classes. A&M needs to reevaluate the place ment of the pedestrian passageway in order to accommodate student’s academic needs — looking toward the future, not just the next athletic event. Elizabeth Kohl is a junior accounting major L4tMCli 3«?rrnrmi<?zi WE RISKED OUR live? oh the op&i SEA TO <3ET HEfv’E..., gur mx now iwr THE IOWA CAUCUSES ARE CHER AMP THE CANDIDATES have LEFT, lETt Head bkk HOTAE... Texas hospitals lose by winning lawsuit S tart looking for new ad campaigns spon sored by the Texas Health Department en couraging teens to smoke. It is not likely that televi sion networks will be run ning these ads anytime soon, but a decline in to bacco sales will have hos pital systems all over the state looking for ways to generate funds. Texas local hospital districts will lose more than $60 million this year because of a reduction in tobacco sales. It seems that in the fight against smoking, hospi tals may have fought too hard. As part of the state settlement with tobacco companies, local hospital districts were to re ceive $2.25 billion of the $17 billion arrange ment. However, because of the decline in to bacco sales, companies demanded an 11 percent return on the overpayment. According to Harvey Rice of the Houston Chronicle, the hospitals may be the unfortunate “victims of their own success.” This situation points to the strange relation ship that exists between those who indirectly destroy public health and those who try to re store it. The tobacco industry and the states are destined to ride this merry-go-round until it stops, if it ever does. Companies such as Philip Morris U.S.A. market products the public de mands, but the government monetarily punish es them. Forced to pay reparations to the states for health care, the tobacco industry' is, in a sense, shooting itself in the foot. Evidently, wounds heal quickly because it can expect to get some of its settlement money back. This illogical arrangement resembles a par ent attempting to resolve a conflict between two children. The tobacco companies want to sell their wares despite proven health risks, but state and local officials are trying to prevent their adversaries’ success. Suddenly, in steps the judicial system to solve the squabble. Philip Morris and others are forced to pay the states to compensate for the damages done to citizens by tobacco products. However, the states were overpaid because tobacco profits were down this year, and companies want their money back. This is problematic because many hosjritals have already budgeted the expected payment and will struggle to handle the cut. Hospitals are put in a complicated position because if they succeed in lowering the number of smokers, they lose funding. The fact stands that, in a bizarre way, hospi tals need people to smoke. They need the mon ey they are given by tobacco companies to sur vive. So while the tobacco industry is punished for its advertising and marketing success, the health care system is punished when less peo ple smoke — the true aim of public health re form. The absurdity of this entire situation re sides in the fact that smokers buy tobacco products of their own free will. The settlement represents good intentions in the attempt to improve public health, but this seems to be an inconsequential drop in the bucket. The tobacco companies could be the first in a long line of targets for generating rev enue for public and private hospitals and health care centers. If the U.S. Department of Health was so in clined, it could opt to attack almost any industry. Fast food chains could find themselves in court for selling greasy hamburgers and fries to cus tomers who end up w'ith congestive heart fail ure. Liquor companies could be attacked for the nationwide rampant problems of alcoholism and liver disease. Tanning facilities could face charges for the growing health dilemma of skin cancer. The list goes on and on and on. If smoking is legal, then the tobacco compa nies should not be penalized for supplying what customers demand. Why should the industry be to blame for smokers’ informed decision to ruin their health? This creates a gray area for busi nesses if they can potentially be held liable for the effects on customers who purchase products knowing full well the risks entailed. Hospitals are put in a complicated position because if they succeed in lowering the num ber of smokers, they lose funding. The govem- ment is creating a difficult situation by charg ing fault to tobacco companies and sentencing them to pay for the damages their products cause to the public. If this settlement proves to be advantageous for health care systems, other companies may soon be heading to court to de fend themselves. McDonald's — you are next. Summer Hicks is a senior English major MAIL CALL DUI violations not enforced equally /n response to Brady Creel’s Feb. 9 article. The Athletic Department claims that it takes discipli nary actions on students who violate NCAA and student rules, however it would ap pear that the Athletic Depart ment does not make good on this promise. Ja’Mar Toombs is a great football player and I would not like to see anything jeopardize his career, but I do think he deserves to be pun ished for his actions. His recent DUI and previ ous hemp convictions seemed to be overlooked by the Athletic Department. I think, as do most people, those who are in the public eye should face the same punishment as everyone else. I know that if I had been pulled over with a .1 BAC in stead of Ja’Mar, I would not have been lucky enough to re ceive a DUI. But with a less recognizable name, I would have received the DWI he de served. I am not saying I am per fect, but I would like to see people in the spot light held accountable for their actions like everyone else. Bryan Odom Class of ‘OO Racist intentions found in diversity In response to Stuart Hutson’s Feb. 9 article. The Battalion and other ad vocates of multiculturalism have continuously searched for excuses as to why the per ceived lack of diversity at Texas A&M is a threat to our prestige as a university. Saying that the Bonfire tragedy is symbolic of our eth nic troubles is not only wrong, it is utterly tasteless. Propo nents of diversity fail to see that their obsession with race and ethnicity is the true prob lem and that only by looking beyond skin color can people be deemed truly intelligent. A racist someone who judges people according to their race or national origin. One who sympathizes with an ethnic group is just as guilty of racism as one who dislikes an ethnic group. The “New Racism” of the 20th Century that hides its ethno centric aims behind catch phrases like “multicultural ism” and “diversity” must be seen for what it really is: sug ar-coated racism. It is racist in its sentiment because it calls for us to em brace diversity because we all benefit from the differences in herent in ethnic groups — an ignorant statement because it assumes that people of differ ent ethnicity have natural dif ferences beyond skin color. In 1984, Thurgood Mar shall argued before the Unites States Supreme Court that “classifications and distinc tions based on race have no moral or legal validity in our society.” It was true in 1984 and is true today. We must all em brace the policy of judging persons as individuals, not as members of particular ethnic groups. In this logic, any per son who says A&M needs more members of a certain race at Texas A&M must be judged for what he or she truly is — a racist. To be a world-class Univer sity (which we already are) A&M does not need to em brace “multiculturalism” and “diversity”; we need to em brace people as individuals, knowing that our community is judged not by its ethnic breakdown, but by the intelli gence of its individuals. Micah Belden Class of ‘02 The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author’s name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and ac curacy. Letters may be submitted in per son at 013 Reed McDonald 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 77843-11.11 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com