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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2000)
Thursday, June U| DN mrsday, June 1,2000 THE BATTALION Page 5 VITH THE HOLLISTERS DOUBLEDAVE’S .IVE MUSIC WITH RIDOl THIS AND DOLLY BRAII SATURDAY: 3RD FLOOR CANTINA 'EJANO NIGHT WITH BAI )Y ENTERTAINMENT DJS ROAD Tom Green movie showcases vorst of college student life linated award The white stuff, to behont Ihe much-anticipated movie Rond Trip hit the theaters in rrjid- May. Many college students bought, "Finally — a movie that's Lipposed to be as funny as American lie and about college." While Rond Trip is funny, proving licit college students can laugh at hemselves, the characters in the flick a personal, spiritual tfc« re p 0r t ra yed as degenerates. Rond Trip makes the other is a color I dream abouti^] ass j c co n e g e movig, Animal House, look virginal. Movie makers have crossed the line in their pursuit of liaximum gross-out comedy in films, and the conse- I uences will affect moviegoers as well as movie makers. Movies like Road Trip create the stigma that all college stu- ents do wild and crazy things like those shown in the aovie. Not only are some of these scenes realistic, but they ould also create problems for young, impressionable view- ne. 1 feel safe in white beat down inside, I'm an ange: d in a telephone interview. We're graduall] iking men into e zone ofbeiwi able to feel beautiful, hut III be able to k n strong man about it.” — Sean "Puffy" Comfc musician and fashion designs Not too many years ago, a scene in The Program aused unnecessary tragedy. Kids lay in the middle of he highway after watching characters do it in the movie ithout being harmed. A vehicle ran over them, and hey died. Producers of The Program took the scene out of pe film soon after. Rond Trip includes several scenes that could be copied, ome with deadlier consequences than others. Probably the scariest scene is the road trippers' attempt o jump a collapsed bridge in a Ford Taurus. Granted, the ar made it over the gap. But then it exploded. The road trippers were in the middle of a deserted :ountry road somewhere in Maryland. Yet, as is normal in he movie world, they happened to find a somewhat run- jown, but still decent, motel to stay in. rs UP Kim and Missy EH ln the real wor,d ' P eo P le mi 8 ht tr y to ) um P a brid 8 e egend Luther Vandross,Nf ind die ' 0r the y could stuck in the m,ddle of a country Yankee Derek Jeter, NewY road with no hand y motel to S reet them - 0,1 a country Patrick Ewing and cornea T oad ^ ke ^e one in the movie, they would be more likely a Bernhard ' to be greeted with the receiving end of a shotgun, me typically Combs is re ! The movie contains other activities that could be as the Grammy-winning Cl d Boy Entertainment, phis| ar. He is also owner of treK 's restaurants in New Td Atlanta, named for one ofl copied with nega tive consequences, like having sex with someone on the first date —which was technically not even a first date since the two lovebirds in the movie just hooked up at a party. Smoking marijuana is portrayed as cool and normal in the movie. People who copy the film may also drink shot after shot of liquor in order to have as much fun as the guys did the night of the frat party in the movie. According to the film, no one should expect a hangover, since no one seemed worse for the wear in Rond Trip. These unrealistic portrayals of college life could entice young people to act like the degenerate characters do in the movie, which could create disaster on several levels. Not only could gross-out comedies create tragedy, but they make American culture look sick — even more sick than Tom Green's dead-mouse scene. Some scenes in Rond Trip show people at the bottom of the moral ladder. For instance, the road trippers ruin their original car. What do they do? They steal a bus from a school for the blind. Not a single character, not even the pimply dork character, questions this move, which makes American college students look dishonest and cruel. The moviegoer never finds out whether the characters return the bus, whicli could leave some viewers to believe that stealing has no consequence. Movies with little moral character emphasize the di minishing values of the nation, as well as its apathy to ward the outward appearances of its behavior. Finally, gross-out comedic movie makers will eventu ally run out of nasty ideas. Yes, there is a point where shoving things where the sun does not shine ceases to be possible, let alone funny. For example, the next Tom Green flick would not be as funny if he licks a mouse again, since he does that in Road Trip. To get the desired shocked, grossed-out laugh from the audience, Tom would have to do something more disgust ing, like hump a dead moose. Oh, wait — he has already done that, too. This kind of comedy, when taken too far, also loses its humor, and movies like these usually flop in the box office. JEFF SMITH/The Battalion A big enough flop could hinder the movie maker's career. Plus, unsuccessful comedies may cause producers to avoid the genre altogether, leaving moviegoers with noth ing to see but Kill Everyone Psychotically and Sappy Romance 3, or create only silly, slapstick films like Ernest Goes to Jail. The movie Road Trip is hilarious if one does not think of the consequences to the characters' actions while watching it. Since the movie has already been made, it will probably become a classic college flick. In the future, however, college students should send the message to Hollywood that they DO have half a brain that helps them make better decisions than the characters in Road Trip. ver the past I school year, CARPOOL [Caring Aggies R Te's philanthropic, too, I ided Daddy's House Sodj ;rams in New York City II leless and foster children ! ird company has a charit sion run by sister Keisha. f that's not enough multitas Protecting Over Our Combs plays the leader of Lives) became a re- / York crime syndicate intWounding success lining film "Made," whicli and a welcome sight duled for release next year at many Texas A&M he mogul with a "Bad-Boy toed biceps, a penchant l(j Finding a new way home ARPOOL’s absence teaches Aggies responsibility ars and keg parties. The program, hich gave safe, no-questions-asked sace and a platinum-and-dy rides home to 6,343 drunk or stranded id cross necklace knows ho 1 students this year, has made ambine the brains of a mus an impact on many lives. founder, is that the program directors will take this time to evaluate CAR- POOL's freshman year. With any luck, when CARPOOL returns in the fall, it will be even more prominent and active for the Aggie who has had one too many. Also, one group that took a serious hit in the wallet when CARPOOL began — local cab services — will certainly benefit from the program's absence. It always seemed harsh for CARPOOL to offer ,for free, a service that other Bryan-College 1 with the style of a rockstai I never like to be pinpoint!* i my style," Combs said. T plexity of my personality!! ction of my style. However, it is summertime, nd those "Caring Aggies" re going oh vacation. The CARPOOL gang will ake off the entire summer Vhen it comes to clotk''l^ 16 1° a l ac k of volunteers, e got a wide range of flavff ’hose neon-green shirts that I like," he said. What We become as regular a ealing about fashion, accoa jashion statement on North- to Combs, "is that you' : pleas dirty white caps will e missing in action until all 2000. Have no fear, [hough, the dirty white caps ill still be around. While CARPOOL will efinitely be missed on the oosed to experiment. It's! r supply of color and yoift! iter. You're supposed to hat with it." or his New York didn't want to look atrl# to k preview in FebruaiL ibs, 30, showed bare-cherff 0rth8 f te summer fashi0n j i j • • ■ m/si kene, the greatest pain ? models dripping in $14 a 1 j & r £ . , i 1 from its absence will be felt worth of jewels and si# , . , |>y those Aggies standing in minK. H •111 i utside broken phone ■ j .iwooths with money in their g on," said CFDA presidf Herman after the sho ; i, . , , r, > J their heads. CARPOOL s summer vaca- len you saw those diamopfi .... . . lion will hurt Aggies without a ride home by forcing them to call the cab ser- I Vice phone number on CARPOOL's an- see g^s wearing o| weringmach . ne id necklaces and bracelets Although the program is forsaking its y worked. ■vould-be summer patrols, CARPOOL's om in Harlem, Combs w jii ac tually benefit A&M. With 1 intern at Uptown Record TARPOOLon hiatus, students should York City in 1991 to 'T|ake the opportunity to learn to be more ident. He was soon inst* l-egpongfoig anc j p ar j-yj ng tal in creating the del’ Not only can students reap rewards ms of Mary J. Blige J |rom the lack of CARPOOL's services, ci. In 1993, he signed " but the program will benefit as well. The ta Records to distribute' |vord from Jeff Schiefelbein, CARPOOL's Boy label, launching a set leases that went platinum JEFF SMITH/The Battalion Station residents were selling to feed their families. Now, without CARPOOL, business will improve for B-CS cabbies. It seems safe to say the owners of Univer sity Taxi and other area cab companies will not be lamenting the void left by CARPOOL tlais summer. In the end, though, the group most likely to benefit from the temporary loss 1 of CARPOOL is A&M students. While school may be out, the parties will con tinue, and business at bars will be as usu al. Richard Penning, the owner of Dud- dley's Draw on Northgate, said "The summer scene at Duddley's will contin ue as it always has, even if CARPOOL is not up and running." Unfortunately, that scene will include students stum bling drunkenly out of Duddley's doors and looking for their cars. In the absence of those "Caring Aggies," students should take this opportunity to protect over their own lives and be more re sponsible for their own actions. CAR- POOL has been a very successful and re warding program, but it is not an excuse to get hammered and it should never be taken for granted. Students wlio view CARPOOL as a sort of "get out of jail free" card have completely missed the program's inten tions and real purpose. CARPOOL is a safety net for A&M students, and it is time Aggies went back to partying re sponsibly without that net. The tliousands of rides given by CARPOOL shows that a large number of students are literally making the right call once they find themselves about to drive home drdnkenly. However, that lofty number also shows that a lot of Ag gies are screwing up to put themselves in that situation in the first place. With CARPOOL gone for the sum mer, students need to learn to prevent those drunken scenarios before they even occur. Aggies out on the town who Jiave previously enjoyed CARPOOL's ser vices sliould revert back to those lessons taught by so many high school health teachers. The old virtues of cutting oneself off hours before going home and / or designating a driver * reach new levels of importance without CARPOOL. CARPOOL's summer vacation takes away a certain security blanket from cel ebrating Aggies, but it also presents stu dents with the perfect chance to work on looking out for themselves. The CAR- POOL service may be of great use to stu dents, but learning to drink responsibly is one lesson with a usefulness that never takes a summer off. Eric Dickens is a junior English major. Faculty need not fear peer opinion In response to Maureen Kane’s May 30 column. 1 am really glad I had the op portunity to read your article as we students always look to the faculty for guidance. One par ticular quote by Rob McGeachin stands out to me: "The opinion of this institution in the eyes of our peers is in jeopardy if we let Bonfire con tinue.” I have been trying to decide for some time now whether 1 should smoke pot or go on drinking binges. I have been getting harassed by my peers, at this school and other institu tions, because I refuse to par take. Now that I know the same people who have always warned me against peer pres sure and not falling victim to it are hypocritical on that posi tion, I can now do whatever everyone else is doing, just be cause of what my peers will think of me. Seems like facts and reali ty do not seem to matter any- MAIL CALL more and 1 am really, really tired of the same old worn-out arguments about a waste of resources. I wonder if these professors would live in a house made of post oak? Marc Barringer Class of ’92 A&M faculty should be heard In response to Justin Seal’s May 31 Mail Call. The May 31 Mail Call letter regarding Bonfire is a prime ex ample of what the Bonfire Commission termed “cultural bias,” and an important rea son why tlqe faculty opinions concerning Bonfire should be acknowledged. The reason this tradition has existed so long is because dissenting opinions about Bonfire are too often quelled. If the opinion of the Faculty Senate had been pro Bonfire, I suspect I would never have seen such a letter. The students have had am- f ill Riley is a senior journalism major. pie opportunity to express their opinions (about 90 years) and, in fact, until this tradition took 12 lives, it seems that the students’ opinions were the only ones that counted. Currently, Texas A&M falsely regards itself as a world-class institution. Without the participation of everyone at this University, in cluding those with opinions dif fering from the overwhelming majority, A&M will compromise its integrity and never fulfill its potential to be, indeed, world- class. Caleb Kennedy Class of ’00 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 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com