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Wednesday, Ad
OPINION
dnejsday, April 12, 2000
THE BATTALION
Page 15 j,
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s for over 40 years, his fid
Drawbacks of rapid growth in income deserve notice, not ridicule
1943
His first play,
“The Flies,” is
produced in
Paris. It
carries a
message of
freedom in
the face of
tyranny. It
escapes Nazi
censors.
1971
Publishes
first two
volumes ffi
four-vote
T he next
time the
television
blares “Who
Wants to Be a
Millionaire?,”
viewers might
want to consider
care fill ly before
making “we do”
their final answer.
According to psychologists at the
newly founded Money, Meaning &
Choices Institute (MMC1) in Kentfield,
Calif., prosperity may create more psy
chological problems than it solves, es
pecially for the nouveau riche entrepre
neurs made millionaires overnight by
the “new economy.” Dr. Stephen Gold-
hart and Joan DiFuria claim to have
discovered a complex of depression,
anxiety and self-doubt called “sudden
wealth syndrome” (SWS).
“The distress or impairment that
people experience as a consequence
of sudden wealth is in excess of what
one would ordinarily expect,” ac
cording to MMCl’s Website. “These
are people whose concerns about
money become painful ruminations
that ruin their daily lives, people
whose feelings of confusion and guilt
lead to self-destructive behaviors,
people whose families are ripped
apart and whose lives over time be
come devastated as a result of SWS.”
Needless to say, media satirists
have had a field day with the para
doxical suggestion that poor rich
folks in southern California deserve
sympathy for their “plights.”
Abby Ellin printed a typically
sarcastic commentary in the New
York Times.
“Every day, 1 thank God that I’m
not an Internet billionaire, that my last
name isn’t Kennedy or Rockefeller
and that no one is paying me $20 mil
lion to star in a movie,” she wrote in
the March 19 issue with her tongue
planted firmly in her cheek. “After all,
if 1 were
worth an
outrageous
amount of
money,
who knows
the trauma
that would
await?”
Clearly,
if the rich
want pity,
they will not find it in the press.
Nevertheless, in a society obsessed
with dissecting the “millionaire mind”
— the subject of a current best-selling
book — the idea of those minds being
troubled has piqued the attention of
America’s upwardly mobile. Judging
from media mockery of Goldbart and
DiFuria, most people chuckle at the
“ludicrous” idea that money hurts. In
this day and age, the idea that there are
things money cannot buy is just a slo
gan to sell credit cards.
This dismissal of
sudden wealth syndrome
as mumbo-jumbo is
astonishing because the
condition is one of the
most culturally resilient
truths there is.
But perhaps the guffaws elicited
by SWS are really nervous laughter.
After all, the United States’ stabil
ity is built on its economy. This is a
country that treats the pronounce
ments of Alan Greenspan like the ut
terances of an oracle and picks Jeff
Bezos, the millionaire CEO of Ama
zon.com, as Time magazine’s “Man
of the Year.”
If money is not “it,” then what in
the world is?
This dismissal of SWS as mum
bo-jumbo is as
tonishing be
cause the
condition is one
of the most cul
turally resilient
truths there is.
Turn to liter
ature, and one
can find enough
melancholy mil-
lionaires to fill
the Encyclopedia Britannica. Richard
Cory, the Great Gatsby and Ebenezer
Scrooge lead the list of birds trapped
in their golden cages.
Turn to entertainment, and SWS is
confirmed again. Nowhere is the
Greek model of a hero’s tragic fall
more exemplified than on episodes of
VH1 ’s “Behind the Music.” Tune in
every week to meet a starlet who rock
eted to fame and then plummeted into
bankruptcy, depression and drugs.
The world’s major religions —
most notably the Judeo-Christian tra
dition — take SWS as a given. Ask
the Hebrew writer of Ecclesiastes
what it is like to roll in the dough,
and he will give a depressing answer
— it is like “grasping at the wind.”
And Jesus himself would agree
with the MMCI, according to the
gospel of Luke. “One’s life does not
consist in the abundance of the things
he possesses,” he said. Far from
promising happiness to the rich, he
said the blessed were the poor.
This society is simply unaccus
tomed to the bluntness of the sermon
on the mount: “Woe to you who are
rich, for you have received your con
solation.” But that statement sounds
an awful lot like a first-century ver
sion of sudden wealth syndrome.
The facts must be faced. Gold-
barth and DiFuria are right. SWS is
real, and it is nothing new.
The question facing Americans is
how to react to the diminishing returns
of material wealth. A certain amount
of cash is necessary for human happi
ness — no one disputes that.
But excess breeds dissatisfaction
and depression. At some point, the
value of making more money needs ‘
to be fundamentally questioned, and
the MMCI is doing just that.
Do not laugh at Goldbarth and Di-;
Furia. Listen to them.
Caleb McDaniel is a jiuiioi\
history major.'
ROBERT HYNECEK/The Battalion
ixie Chicks not guilty of
promoting murder in song
EDITORIAL
THE
MELISSA
JOHNSTON
R ecently there has
been quite a fuss'in
country music’s
chicken coop due to the
piled from AP wire reports Dixie Chicks’ latest single,
goodbye Earl.”
Willi "Earl,” the Chicks
'e concocted a kind of
ft was found guilty TuesThelma and Louise for the
ape of a student heff 21st century, and they even
;on Horace Champ, - gave it a happy ending. The song follows two girl-
>eles was foundguiltyt friends, Maryann and Wanda, who decide to kill
/Oman at Union Coll^Wanda’s abusive husband, Earl, after one of his
eventh-day Adventist sdm lmgs puts her in
intensive care. The two
iln, in February 1997 ivomen serve Earl a helping of poisoned black-
tencing was scheduU jy et | p CaSi anc | p ar | subsequently turns up “miss-
. Champ faces up iom-’ (j n Wanda’s trunk). However, he is not exact-
i prison. Iy‘‘missed” by anyone at all, and Maryann and
ity Public Defenders ,j jh ever af|
referred all questioiK* f , ’
ter County Attorney# d ’.
ho was not in his off|l^ slde stand \
H Domestic vio
lence is certainly
iscrious subject,
|| the Chicks
■nage to make
liieir “solution”
all tongue-in-
cheek, with Na
talie Maines’
saucy lead vocals
and lots of up-
at guitar. It ap-
fers, however,
k some of the
intry music
ustry guys
ha\ e missed that
ligue-in-cheek part: around 20 country stations
hacked by industry magazine Radio & Records
vhaxe chosen to ban “Earl” from the airwaves,
dt Imm I Yes, once again, the powers that be are getting
(itas ^ Cir Wranglers in a wad over a non-issue. It prob-
abl\ is not too much of a suiprise to most, as songs
a ^ uu t difficult social issues have always been easy
/ evening.
Clw'j
gets for controversy and disapproval.
John Pellegrini, a program director in Pennsyl-
di , nK‘ 1 ' Vania who has chosen not to air “Earl” said, “My
Jestion is, what do we do a song about next:
school shootings? Just a fun one, one that might
Ipse awareness?”
Well, John, it is not exactly a “fun” song, but re
member Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy?” Been there, done that.
■ It is not just the stations who have been a little
^laken up by the Chicks’ song, but even the
Chicks’ own record labels. Sony and Monument
fere both concerned about releasing “Earl” as a
single, but after its success in a live performance at
the Grammys, they relented, and “Earl” hit the air
waves last month. One Sony Nashville representa
tive finally realized what the song is really show
casing: “Controversy is [what] the Chicks are all
about. They have an irreverent sense of humor.”
That irreverent sense of humor seems to have
settled in just fine with the public, as listeners have
not really joined in the protest. Lon Helton of Ra
dio & Records said, “I think the public knows the
Chicks have a great, edgy attitude.”
That is right: The Chicks are “edgy,” and the
public likes it. People expect the Chicks to be out
there pushing the envelope, and “Earl” is a good
example of their drive to try out new ideas.
While it can be argued that songs in the music
world definitely can promote some bad ideas and
actions, “Earl” is not about promoting murder. For
goodness’ sake, in the song’s music video, Earl is
played by Dennis Franz, and Maryann (Lauren
Holly) and Wanda (Jane Krakowski) take hilarious
pleasure in deciding that black-eyed peas are the
way to go (no
pun intended).
Something
about Franz get
ting stuffed into
a trunk is just
plain silly, and it
certainly adds to
the perspective
that “Earl” is
mostly all in
fun.
The song
does deviate
from all that fun
in its underlying
theme. The Na
tional Coalition
Against Domes
tic Violence has
offered public
support to the Chicks and the song, as it may help
to bring the difficult issue of domestic abuse to the
forefront of listeners’ minds.
Though Maryann and Wanda’s “plan” may not
be the best or most legal solution to this problem,
at least the song itself could help battered spouses
realize there is always a way out. Dixie Chick
Emily Robison summed it up quite nicely: “Some
times songs get so serious that they make people
very uncomfortable. ‘Earl’ is meant to be light
hearted and fun, and if in the process it brings a se
rious subject into the forefront, then that’s great.”
On the liner notes to Fly, a disclaimer appears
under the lyrics to “Goodbye Earl”: “The Dixie
Chicks do not advocate premeditated murder, but
love getting even.” Getting even with all these
paranoid radio station folks is going to be quite
easy for the Chicks, who have two shiny new
Grammys and a hit video on their hands. Take a
ride in the trunk, station managers — “Earl” is a
hit, like it or not.
Melissa Johnston is a senior English major.
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
JEFF KEMPF
NIGHT NEWS EDITOR
GUY ROGERS
PHOTO EDITOR
RUBEN DELUNA
GRAPHICS EDITOR
BRANDON PAYTON
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
CRISTINA PADRON
ASST. NIGHT NEWS EDITOR
JP BEATO
PHOTO EDITOR
ROBERT HYNECEK
GRAPHICS EDITOR
BRENT BARKLEY
The great northgate debate
Merchant, city bickering over parking spaces needs to sto
A March 22 letter written by Susan to remove the parking spaces was to attention.” But instead of trying to g
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
A March 22 letter written by Susan
Pledger, special events coordinator for
Loupot’s Bookstore, gave the City of Col
lege Station 30 days to vacate its North-
gate substation which is owned by the
bookstore. The city is leasing the space
on a year to year basis, but now it seems
the lease is up.
The owners of Loupot’s and other area
merchants are upset with a plan to re
move spaces used by Loupot’s, Aggieland
Drycleaners and other companies’ cus
tomers who want to quickly park their car
and run into the stores.
Evicting the city police may be Loupot’s
choice, but it is a mistake. Unfortunately,
the city is not blameless either.
The city said the substation is ben
eficial for the safety and security of
the Northgate area and that the plan
Students respond to
Corps block article
In response to Eric Dickens’ April 11
column.
The Corps of Cadets can hardly be
“blamed” for the results of a student
body election. There are two issues
which many people overlook at election
time: independence and apathy.
All students have the same power on
election day and may vote as they see
fit. Each student is given their own bal
lot, and no personal interaction is al
lowed while a student is voting. There is
no way to force a member of the Corps
to vote a certain way.
The purpose of a secret ballot system
is to ensure that every individual is al
lowed to vote as they wish, without any
outside pressure. While the Corps block
is an excellent campaigning tool, it by no
means locks in a vote for a candidate.
to remove the parking spaces was to
provides better access for emergency
vehicles.
This may sound like a necessary
change, but alternate routes exist. Further,
removing the free parking will increase rev
enue for the city’s future parking garage.
The debate over Northgate parking has
dissolved into petty in-fighting and bicker
ing. Both the City of College Station and
the area merchants have legitimate inten
tions. However, the manner in which
these intentions have manifested is
ridiculous. Removing a few highly conve
nient parking spaces and in turn evicting
College Station Police from a helpful loca
tion does not accomplish anything.
Bernie Gess, owner of Aggieland
Drycleaners, said the eviction notice
was simply an attempt to “get the city’s
MAIL CALL
The other issue is voter turnout. The
only way 2000 cadets can decide an
election is if the other 38,000 stu
dents don’t go out and vote. Voter apa
thy runs rampant at Texas A&M, at no
fault of the Corps.
While making cadets turn in “I Voted
Today” stickers is a questionable prac
tice, cadet turnout is something to be
proud of. Voting takes less than five
minutes to complete and is great prac
tice for any future scantron exams you
may encounter. You can also vote online
if you are worried about killing a tree by
using a paper ballot. There is no excuse
for not voting.
If my fellow non-regs have a problem
with the way elections have turned out,
do not point fingers at the Corps. Just
remember, everyone is an individual.
Think for yourself. If you want things to
change, you have to do more than com
plain. You have to get out and vote.
John Lyon
Class of ’99
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Let
ters must be 300 words or less and include the aif
thor’s name, class and phone number. *
The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letter*
for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be su»-„
mitted in person at 013 Reed McDonald with a valiS
student ID. Letters may also be mailed to:
The Battalion - Mail Call
013 Reed McDonald *.
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
77843-1111
attention.” But instead of trying to get «
each other’s attention with childish be- ‘
havior, the two sides need to focus on -
reaching a compromise and improving *
the current plan for Northgate parking -
for everybody's sake.
In all reality, having a police substation
in the Northgate vicinity is an advantage
that cannot be underestimated. Loupot’s
should not displace the city’s substation.
Likewise, the city should incorporate
plans to leave the parallel parking
spaces on College Main alone or per
haps guarantee a certain number of free
30-minute parking spaces in the new
parking garage.
Certainly there is a solution that will
appease both sides and end the sense
less bickering between the city and its
Northgate merchants.
I do not think that the Corps choosing
who to back in elections is unfair. It is ;
the same as any other organization backv
ing one of their members. I see where
having the Corps back you could help 'I
you in the campaigning process, but the
fact of the matter is, the Corps only
makes up about 2 percent of this stu- I v
dent body. You want a fair election? Get
off your non-reg butts and go vote. That
is the way to beat the Corps.
Trisha Smith
Class of;02