/ednesday, February 16,j
OPINION
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ednesday, February 16,2000
THE BATTALION
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Sesame Street’ catches heat
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ert the Muppet, of Bert and
Ernie on “Sesame Street,” is
Ernie's gay lover. He is also
mie's evil twin, a Nazi and yet anoth-
rconspirator in the John 1. Kennedy
ssassination, according to the allega-
onsofvarious Internet sites.
These urban legends have taken tit
le pieces of “evidence" and started big
HEATHER
GORBE1X
children. The creators of the show intend to teach simple kids
life lessons through the actions of innocent characters.
Bert and Ernie do not possess jobs, ambitions or sexual
drives of any kind. Their function is to exhibit the follies and
>ns, 38, another
cuts, had bitter words
icther we live and die
e children.’* •
p this year.
itinues for
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■ant testified Tuesd?
appeared to draw
a “combat stance,'
nneth Boss said It
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his colleague te
icers fired 41 shots
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100 doctors nations l ® 10rs - ^' or instrmue, they point out
ilitv treatment to ah wtBert has three names, “Bert the Muppet," in conjunction
ith other assassins, like Lee 1 larvey Oswald. Internet pho-
been reluctant toic§>shazily depict Bert standing on the grassy knoll in Dallas
irca 1963.
A few years ago, he was rumored to have died of cancer
m“Sesame Street” so that Ernie could teach kids how to
ire system: “They'regi y with grief. It was also rumored that he moved away be-
mpanies more andi , ause parents were protesting the depiction of a gay couple
■nthe PBS children’s show.
Contradictions like these, like the one that Bert died on
he show and moved away, are not uncommon in the slew
flegends surrounding Bert and Ernie. It is unclear why the
hvo puppets have been the particular targets of malicious
i they can redeemi imors ’ ^ t * ie rumors are clearly false. They are generated
iymean-spirited, unimaginative, phobic people who do not
:imates that 2,&l| mderstand the spirit of innocence that pervades children’s
wide will reach rt elevision programming.
The rumor about Bert and Ernie’s activities as gay lovers
tasbeen circulating for several years. While the exact origin
if the rumor has not been discovered they go back at least as
aras 1994 when Rev. Joseph Chambers blasted the “Sesame
J Y (AP) Echoirf ' lreet " P a ' r on ^' s ra ^'° show for having “blatantly effemi-
E e _'_L u .,liatecharacteristic.” Chambers, using an old anti-sodomy
law, even tried to get them banned from television.
Currently, no particular advocacy group claims the ru
mor or promotes it, but the falsehood continues to surface
whenever “Sesame Street” comes up in conversation. Some
critics point out that Bert and Ernie are two males who live
together, share a bathtub and sleep in the same room, al
though they each have a twin bed, as their evidence for the
puppets'alternative lifestyles. Furthermore, critics claim
female puppets never come to visit Bert and Ernie, im
plying that the boys are happier alone.
Sane people can see that this is a ridiculous theory. The
characters on “Sesame Street” do not have secret lives or hid
den agendas. They relate to children because they behave like
forgiveness of friendship to young children, just like Grover
teaches the meanings of words and Oscar the Grouch teaches
lessons about attitude.
They live together because they are best friends. Produc
ers in the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) use
contrast in Bert and Ernie’s friendship to show kids how
to accept their differences and get along as friends.
Bert is responsible and likes to keep everything
cleaned up. Ernie, on the other hand, brings spice to Bert’s
life with his creativity and eccentricity. They are a won-
ERIC ANDRAOS/TlIK BATTALION
derful study in contrast, and kids learn that friendship can
bind together opposites. This is the purpose the twosome
serve on “Sesame Street.”
To the claim that the pair are gay because they live in
the same apartment. The CTW says that Bert and Ernie
share an apartment because of the outrageous rent prices in
New York where “Sesame Street” has been filmed for the
past 25 years.
The friends are obviously strapped for cash. Why else,
other than economic necessity would they have worn the
same clothes for over 30 years?
Like the rumor’s of Bert and Ernie’s sexual orientation,
the jokes about Bert being involved in tragedies of histories
are easily dispelled. Even overlooking the fact that he is a
cloth puppet, Bert obviously was not involved in the Holo
caust or the Kennedy assassination since he was not created
until the ’70s.
However, blatantly doctored photographs that allegedly
reveal Bert’s “dark side” remain on the Internet. Rumors
also continue to circulate about Bert leaving the show
through illness or relocation, the CTW disregards such ru
mors and emphasizes that there are no plans for the depar
ture of Bert or Ernie.
Eventually, PBS and the Children’s Television Workshop
stopped ignoring the ludicrous claims against Bert and Ernie.
Through station spokespeople and a number of press releases
the CTW and PBS stated that Bert and Ernie in fact have no
sexual orientation at all and that the two in no way represent a
gay couple. Despite these official statements the speculation
has persisted.
Sadly, photographs and flying rumors are leading to situ
ations where some parents forbid their children to watch a
great show. “Sesame Street” is educational, funny and en
dearing. It is also tenderly nostalgic for the college-age gen
eration. Allegations against the popular show are heartbreak
ing. It appears that some adults have become so cynical and
analytical that they can no longer appreciate purity.
There is nothing sinister or sinful about teaching kids life
lessons. If cynics continue reading evil into innocence, child
hood will be shattered. Children’s shows will be forced to
tiptoe around every issue in an attempt to avoid criticism, but
criticism will be the only thing that remains.
Heather Corbell is a junior
English major.
Dining Services improve
during Sbisa renovation
ts
, or continuing
t Texas A&M,
low students.
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Sbisa Dining
closed at
leginning of
he spring for a nine month
nakeover, the stage was
:ertainly set for disaster.
But credit the good Ag-
iies at Food Services for
timing what could have
teen a miserable semester
nto a masterful performance.
The student body has not always been particu-
arlycharitable toward the hard-working people in
he Department of Food Services. Instead of thanks
forthemeals they serve, they usually get pied in
he face. In fact, students routinely deal with Food
Services by expecting the best and belittling the
cstAH the while, the department’s stall'has con-
lined to do their thankless jobs with professional
ism and pride.
But with such a history of hostility from pa
trons, no one could have blamed Food Services
miployees for
fearing the worst
it the beginning
)f the year.
Despite the
fact that the de-
lision to reno
rate Sbisa was a
;ood one, dis-
truntled stu-
Jents were pre
pared to make
his the spring of
their discontent.
The skeptical
questions out-
lumbered the
variety of cereals
in Sbisa.
Where would
itudents on the
Northside eat?
Would meal plan customers be stuck with a heap of
wasted credits?
And how would other dining locations deal
with crowds caused by the closure of Sbisa?
Would a dropped cup clatter without comment,
orwould it still be permissible to shame clumsy
students into “picking it up”?
All of these questions and more have been sat
isfactorily answered. Not only has Food Services
triumphed in the midst of potential trial — it has
even out paced its normal performance.
The first key to the Department’s success has
been the creative restructuring of the Outbound
Dining option. Every Food Services location on
campus now offers a special deal to students with
a meal plan at no extra charge.
There were minor difficulties in the expanded
implementation of Outbound Dining. It took
some adjustment for students to learn what they
could get with a swipe of their Aggie Cards. But
Food Services responded to early confusion by
clearly posting Outbound menus in every loca
tion. Ever since, students have had the pleasant
surprise of sometimes getting $8 worth of food
for one use of their meal plans. In some cases, the
meal deal is more than even a hungry college stu
dent can conceivably eat.
Even more important than the quantity of the
meals has been their quality. Food Sendees has
discovered that students will more readily eat a
well-made grilled chicken sandwich than a
gourmet stuffed pepper.
So under the new arrangement, students are
not limited to eating the food they really like in
rare cases. Rather, the popular fare is available at
every meal, carefully prepared to students’ liking.
Finally, the piece de resistance of Food Ser
vices’ new policies has been the excellence of
the service.
The overflow from Sbisa has saddled work
ers at smaller loca
tions with longer lines
and longer hours. For
the most part, these
workers — whose
faces are recognizable
but whose names are
often unknown —
have held up ad
mirably.
Good people like
the regular employees
at Rumours or the
hard-working manager
ofZachry Snackry still
understand the spirit of
a “howdy.” They know
service with a smile
goes a long way to
ward making a stu
dent’s day.
But they also de
serve to know that their
friendliness is noticed and their promptness is ap
preciated. The Department of Food Services has
exceeded students’ expectations, and they need to
be thanked. It would take only a moment for on-
campus diners to let servers know that their dili
gence has made an impression.
At the same time, Food Services should keep
a good thing going. There is no reason the im
provements made this semester should not con
tinue once Sbisa re-opens. Students should ac
tively suggest that Outbound Dining be available
next year.
And if the present semester is any indication
of things to come, the day may not be far off
when it is finally true that dining on campus real
ly is fun.
Caleb McDaniel is a
junior history major.
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
MAIL CALL
PTTS does not serve
A&M student’s needs
In response to Richard Bray’s Feb. 15
article.
When I was a sophomore, I received a
parking ticket even though I did not own
nor did I have access to a car or motorcy
cle. I never receive a logical answer from
PTTS as to why this occurred. Naturally, 1
read with great interest the article con
cerning better PTTS/student relations. I
was specifically interested in Tom
Williams’ quote: about PTTS managing
the University’s parking permit system.
Let’s define the permit system. Is sell
ing three blue parking passes for every
one physical spot considered good man
agement? Is trying to build a pay-parking
garage on Red/Blue lots, thus removing
more of an already scarce resource, con
sidered good management?
Is management defined as telling all
on- and off- campus students that they
cannot park in the spots that they paid
for across from Kyle Field on football
game weekends because the rich alumni
want them?
PTTS serves the almighty dollar, fol
lowed very closely by the sports depart
ment. They serve two masters, but they
shouldn’t insult our intelligence by claim
ing that the students are one of them.
Scott Phillips
Class of ’00
Doubts arise over role
of A&M Student Senate
In response to Dana Jamus’ Feb. 14
article.
Upon reading about the prospect of
yet another tuition fee being raised (this
time for our rec center), I began to won
der what our Student Senate is actually
for. Are we not suppose to be represent
ed, and to some extent protected, by our
Senate? Does anyone remember Will
Hurd ever opposing a fee increase?
This school is one of the most conser
vative schools around. Why then are we
not fiscally conservative?
Whenever we have a fee or tuition in
crease we hear, there will be more finan
cial aid available for students in need. Is
this not just passing the buck to the tax
payers of our state so our departments
can, "Provide better services?" This is
not fiscally responsible and should be
opposed by our student government.
Michael Emery
Class '02
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EDITORIAL
Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect
the majority view of the editorial board mem
bers. They do not necessarily reflect the opin
ions of other Battalion staff members, the
Texas A&M student body, regents, administra
tion, faculty or staff. Columns, guest
columns, cartoons and letters express the
opinions of the authors.
Editorial Board
MARIUM MOHIUDDIN
EDITOR IN CHIEF
BEVERLY MIRELES
MANAGING EDITOR
STUART HUTSON
CAMPUS EDITOR
ERIC DICKENS
OPINION EDITOR
KYLE WHITACRE
AGGIELIFE EDITOR
DOUG SHILLING
SPORTS EDITOR
JASON BENNYHOFF
RADIO PRODUCER
GUY ROGERS
PHOTO EDITOR
RUBEN DELUNA
GRAPHICS EDITOR
JEFF KEMPF
NIGHT NEWS EDITOR
BRANDON PAYTON
WEB MASTER
MEREDITH HIGHT
COMMUNITY EDITOR
MARIANO CASTILLO
OPINION EDITOR
VERONICA SERRANO
AGGIELIFE EDITOR
DAVE AMBER
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
JASON LINCOLN
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
NONI SRIDHARA
ASST. RADIO PRODUCER
JP BEATO
PHOTO EDITOR
ROBERT HYNECEK
GRAPHICS EDITOR
CRISTINA PADRON
ASST. NIGHT NEWS EDITOR
BRENT BARKLEY
ASST. WEB MASTER
Support for Prairie View A&M
Tragedy should draw the same response Bonfire collapse did
Tragedy cannot break the ties that
bind, but only strengthen them. The
Texas A&M community discovered this
as news of the 1999 Aggie Bonfire col
lapse unfolded on an early morning last
November. Thousands gathered for a
memorial service that very night, and
flowers for the fallen and injured stu
dents adorned many locations across
campus for weeks to come.
However, the tremendous grief of the
moment was felt not only by members of
the community, but also by those who
watched the unity of this University from
afar and support in the form of cards
and letters as well as thoughts and
prayers came in from across the nation.
Prairie View A&M is experiencing this
same grief after a tragic accident that oc
curred last Thursday night. On that
night, a van carrying the university’s
men’s track team to a meet at the Uni
versity of Arkansas-Pine Bluff swerved to
avoid another car and flipped, taking the
lives of four men and injuring six others,
including the team’s coach.
Thousands gathered on Friday for a
memorial service, and mourners have
placed flowers on the track field on the
Prairie View campus as a memorial to
the four fallen team members. A somber
feeling has spread throughout the univer
sity as members of the Prairie View fami
ly cope with their loss.
This tragedy and its aftermath should
certainly feel familiar to students at
Texas A&M, not only in light of recent ex
perience, but also because Prairie View
A&M is considered a sister school to
Texas A&M, having been formed by the
same Morrill Land Grant. If anyone is in
a position to offer a shoulder of strength
to Prairie View at this time, it is this com
munity and the students of this campus.
Support for Prairie View has poured in
from all sides following this tragedy, and
The Battalion wishes to join that senti
ment by sharing the understanding of a
fellow school familiar with tragedy.
Likewise, one hopes that other
schools and individuals will continue to
further support Prairie View A&M as
much as they did for Texas A&M during
the Bonfire collapse.