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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2001)
alenda day Wav. February 15,2001 Roadrunners 2th Man stat Zone at Kyle ugh Thursday i Friday at 5 All skill ley. 3- For more ntact Chad t-8637. Ministries will from 6 to ur Saviours 315 Tauber), ion, call Kyle pha Sorority laring a Love the presente i Basketball' p.m. cialists ol eet from 7 to >02 Rudder, jest speaker man nature, Variable w man, a set ance movie, it 7:00 p,m. nation, con- merman at rg. iy linistries w om 5:45 to 7 jr’s Lutheran Center). Join n-depth Bible elated topics, ion, call Kyle 1C 489) will eaker, Randi s of '79 at t Koldus. iha Sorority, Sharing Our a KappAccino •’s Deli. Opinion Page 7B THE BATTALION Stupid is as stupid does mckass pranks are not to blame for children's behavior Ivferyone has heard pis one before — Kome teenager m middle America Hie notion to imi- ^something he saw TV, heard on a jiiiaci disk or jyed in a video ni and, provided with a lack of ental supervision, the outcome of the tat ion is tragic. ; of the most recent unfoldings of this Brio occurred Jan. 26 when 13-year-old on I and of Torrington, Conn., tried to im- e a stunt he saw on MTV’s popular show ckass.” On the show, head jackass John- Knoxville dons a fire-retardant suit with ft attached to it and sits on an open grill ■ friends spray lighter fluid on the fire, ft and friends gathered at 14-year-old ftord's house. After Ford’s mother ill left the kids unattended, some of ■kids, including Jason and Eric, went fte backyard to play “Jackass.” rdirington police Sgt. Todd Schaller Whe Hartford Courant that Jason put some old pants, old boots, a motorcycle nei and “a couple of shirts and a ialer he thinks are going to protect i”before either he or one of the friends red gasoline onto, his pants and set npblaze. bon suffered second- and third-degree us on about 25 percent of his arms and ftle is currently in stable condition at burn unit of Shriner’s Hospital for Idren in Boston. jlthe days following the tragedy, tiinans and the media have been on a Inunt for one thing — blame. The two s nave spoken up, one side blaming lia violence for the incident and the other pointing the finger at Jason’s parents. While both the media and absence of parental supervision are to blame, a third party should be held accountable for the tragedy — Jason himself. It is hard to blame a kid who is, as his father Eric Lind described him, “sitting on an emergency room table with his skin falling off.” Ultimately though, since MTV should never be forced to be the moral pillar of a child’s upbringing, and > parents cannot watch their children 24 hours a day, everybody — even badly burned 13-year-olds — should be held re sponsible for Jheir own actions. The “MTV made me do it” contingency has been especially outspoken about Ja son’s “Jackass” impersonation. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a long-time critic of media vio lence, decried the show as crossing the line between entertainment and promoting dangerous behavior. Lieberman appealed to Viacom, MTV’s parent company, to ei- thercancel the show or “to eliminate the stunts that could be dangerous if imitated by children.” Lieberman and those looking to place,the blame on MTV should take note of one frequent truth of adolescence — teenagers do stupid stuff. More importantly, many times that stu pid stuff cannot be linked to the media. For example, when I was in junior high, I spent a lot of time doing pretty moronic, and sometimes dangerous, things with my friends Brett and Bryan. On one bored af ternoon, we decided it would be cool to pour gasoline on our hands and set them on fire (sound familiar, Lieberman?). In other fire-related foolery, one day, Brett, Bryan and I built a Molotov cock tail, which is a mason jar filled with gaso line and finished with a gasoline-soaked wick poking out from under the lid. The plan was to throw the fire-bomb onto an uninhabited street from the woods behind Brett’s house. Bryan took the bomb and hurled it but hit a low tree branch, causing it to drop to the ground and explode on a pile of dead leaves. We frantically put out the fire and fled just as authorities came to investigate. While it would be convenient to blame a show like “Jackass” for our actions, my biggest influence those days was not a television show, but my own curiosity with fire and gaining the approval of my friends. I, like Jason, was not being a jackass but a dumbass. While Lieberman blasts MTV and gets his name in the paper, and the Ameri can Academy of Pediatrics in its Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children decries the negative influence television can have on youths, the answer to why these tragedies contin ue to occur lies elsewhere. Explaining the destructive motiva tions and dangerous impulses of adoles cents may not be as easy as saying “MTV made me do it,” but the results will be more fruitful. As long as children are curious to the point of self-destruc tion and willing to perform dangerous stunts in order to show off for their friends, shows like “Jackass” will be only secondary influences. The moral of Jason’s story is twofold. First, parents should instill in children the best sense of judgment and give them the mental tools to determine correct behavior when they are not supervised. Second, do not blame “Jackass” for youths’ dangerous behavior. Jason’s father said that while Ja son was in the hospital, he apologized for what he had done. Apparently, Jason al ready knew who deserved the blame. Eric Dickens is a senior English major. UIRBNING: PROFESSIONAL JRCKRSS DO NOTTRV THIS RT HOME joe peden/The Battalion lay jha Sorority ling the Night a.m. at Wolf Maternity should be mnished for racism ay elation eting in ay Society speaker 0 p.m. n Feb. 2, Uni versity Roadrunners lorth Texas >th Man stat-jfr) officials Zone at Kyle led a five- ay through ar penalty 50p.m. and ||ist their >r daily runs. ft a Alpha velcome. For ffir fraternity charging the fra- n, contact r^y w jth verbal abuse, disor- t 764-8637. conduct and disruption of ac- ftes. This penalty removes fta Alpha from the UNT cam- ftor five years. Currently UNT Icials are not giving details of e incident, but some witnesses ive come forward, fturing a prospective student Christian ari members of Kappa Alpha fra- e a liturgy at pity were seen waving a Con- j All Faiths ftate battle flag and making nal slurs directed at the African- fticans in the tour group. E)ne witness, Latoya Royal, a lor at UNT, said the five-year ■should be extended. “I do not ;l like the school is behind us,” tment Cluh ^yal said. “As a black American, g at 8 P- 111 lonot feel like the verdict was jre will be 3 5t.” Kappa Alpha should have om Fidelity Ip punished for its actions, investment [Educated individuals should jsh lot. An) [ow better than to pull stunts like act Laut 3 j s one) especially on such a di- 33. ie campus. The five-year ban ilhave an affect on Kappa Al- ,Delation I but it should be extended, will have 3 p s punishment should be a sion station- ^mg t 0 othgj- student-run orga- ig at 7 pA zations on college campuses that aid lobby. Jhvior like this is not a laughing fterand will not be tolerated, ha SororU) ■’he accusation of racism is the book cl^ L t h disciplinary violation A Lady’ ipha Alpha has faced at UNT. In by ^ )<)(). Kalpha Alpha was placed on 3 6:45 P- 111, bo-year probation for campus al- l iftl violations. In Nov. 1996, a ■pa Alpha pledge book was |nd containing racist comments i by fraternity members. In I, the fraternity was placed on a ■-year probation for allegations saker fron 1 lazing and alcohol abuse. The University | 0 f violations this fraternity has n. in 2° ftmitted is ridiculously long, n Centc f : |fhe members know they have on, conta c ii warned, and they have cho- -0086. h to ignore it. Obviously the ,,1 linings in the past have not de- nlstrles ^ fed this fraternity from other and P ra ^ lations. UNT should enforce -om 7-8:^ Iban and propose an extension, aapel inRacism should not be an issue on any college campus in any state. Matt Spellman, Kalpha Al pha member, issued a statement on Jan. 29 defending the fraternity. “We are a Southern organization, not a Confederate fraternity; we are going to be around forever,” he said. As a so-called Southern or ganization, Kalpha Alpha should know that a Confederate flag pro motes racism when racial slurs are being shouted. KA members are being very ignorant. Spellman is wrong. Kappa Alpha will not be around forever and should not be around forever at UNT. The group has caused enough problems at UNT and should be This punishment should be a warning to other student-run organizations on college campuses that behavior like this is not a laughing matter and will not be tolerated. day jrapy al me banned from campus indefinitely. Jered Sutton, a junior at UNT, agrees with the banning. “It was a smart action by the university,” he said. Kappa Alpha should have known better. This university is way past the times when racial slurs can be accept ed.” Kappa Alpha members should acknowledge they were wrong and accept the university’s punishment. UNT Student Body President Mike McClendon was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity, but upon the allegations, he resigned from the fraternity. If he cannot accept the allegations against his fraternity, then neither should the university. UNT should extend Kappa Alpha’s punishment. This type of behavior cannot and will not be accepted. This is not the first violation that the Kap pa Alpha fraternity has committed at UNT. This fraternity must not be allowed to commit another one. Sunnye Owens is a junior journalism major. A Need for Compromise GUest worker program will benefit Mexican immigrants iey are la- rers, uilders and house work ers. T6 many Tex ans, illegal Mexi can immigrants mariano are also criminals CASTILLO who pay no taxes and hurt the U.S. economy. Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, is pushing for a “guest worker” plan that would alleviate many of the stereotypes Mexican workers en counter and ease their burden of liv ing in the United States illegally. His proposal is a refreshing ap proach to an old problem. The pro posed solution takes into account social and economic factors and will benefit both countries. . When President Bush meets with Mexican President Vicente Fox this week, immigration policy will be a priority. Fox said he plans to ask Bush to grant amnesty to ille gal Mexican immigrants in the United States. Mexican workers in the United States, Fox said on a ra dio show, deserve education and health benefits. The immigration issue is reaching the ears of many congressmen, like Gramm. His guest-worker program would allow Mexican immigrants to enter the United States for a brief pe riod of time and grant them the right to health and education. The plan would also place Mexican worker CARTOON OF THE DAY immigrants under the restrictions and supervisions of U.S. law. Gramm is proposing an opportu nity for Mexican laborers to work in the United States without becom ing permanent citizens. Gramm’s plan can lay a foundation for a great compromise along the border. Until now, Mexican and U.S. leaders have denied the importance that Mexican immigration plays in their economies. The Austin Ameri- can-Statesman reported that illegal Mexican immigrants send between $6 billion and $ 10 billion back home each year. They are Mexico’s third biggest revenue source. U.S. leaders have declined from taking an official stance on Fox’s proposals to help Mexicans living in the United States. Illegal immigrants are a controversial topic, but the new administration needs to take a deci sive stand to help them. A strongly enforced guest-worker program would aid Mexicans and Americans. On the U.S. side, Mexican labor ers are an integral part of the do mestic economy. Illegal immigrants do the dirty, often labor-intensive, jobs that many citizens do not want. Previous policies toward the bor der area have focused on finding ways to tighten security and close the border. This approach is not feasible, and it has been costly. Added security and border patrols have accomplished little other than agitating border residents. A guest- worker program would ease ten sions on both sides. Bush’s support and approval of a guest-worker program would be a significant move to symbolize the strength of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Fox has publicly touted his vision of a On the U.S. side, Mexican laborers are an integral part of the domestic economy. complete free-trade zone between NAFTA members, where trade and labor are completely unrestricted. The Bush administration has been lukewarm to the suggestion, but with justification. Mexico’s economy is not ready to open its en tire border, but a guest-worker pro gram would be a first step to com pensate for the disparity on each side of the Rio Grande. Americans who are concerned, often because of stereotypes with the economic role of illegal Mexi cans, would be relieved for the gov ernment to have regulations to deal with Mexican guest workers. The Mexican guest workers would feel more secure in their work and life. Many illegal immigrants suffer from dehydration, snakebites and malnutrition. This is a good time to tackle the problem while it is still control lable. According to the Financial Times, U.S. border authorities are reporting a slump in the arrests of illegal Mexican immigrants. Im migration and Naturalization Ser vices said arrests at the border have decreased by one-third com pared to last year. Another positive impact of a guest worker program is that would- be illegal immigrants no longer have to turn to clandestine means of crossing. It is not uncommon for desperate Mexicans to smuggle drugs into the United States in ex change for help from the dealers. Labor unions oppose the idea by arguing that American workers would lose jobs to Mexican labor. However, the jobs that immigrant Mexicans are looking for are typi cally low-skill jobs. There is an in creasing low-skill labor shortage in the United States. These are jobs that would-be illegal immigrants would be willing to take for a while and then return to Mexico. The role of illegal Mexican im migrant labor in the United States cannot be denied. It is morally right to aid these workers with health and education benefits and economical ly sound to grant them amnesty. Mariano Castillo is a junior journalism and international studies major. Mail Call- TO -mEtR- X>o TVF£ Students should not worry so much about anti-abortion exhibit In response to the anti-abortion exhibit outside of the Memorial ■Student Center. 1 I am so tired of hearing people gripe about the pictures outside of the MSC. If an animal abuse protest group were to post pic tures of malnourished puppies and abused kittens, the students would be in an uproar about the injustice of it all. Why do they have such a prob lem with dead children? I under stand that one could see it as graphic and unnecessary, but how many students for or against abor tion have ever taken the time to consider what is actually done to these fetuses. Yes, they may be out for shock value, but how else could they reach you? Would fliers be read or lectures attended? This is an easy way to convey a message to a large number of people. If it bothers you, and it should, avoid the area, just as you ignore groups that are trying to hand out fliers. Suggesting other birth control methods is not this group’s focus, and to those who say condoms are the answer, do you really know their failure rate? Since both sides believe they are 100 percent right, debating all this seems pointless. One day, we will know for sure what was right and wrong. But until then, I be lieve a friend of mine said it best, "If parents taught their kids to val ue human life, than this would never be an issue." Ashlee Davis Class of ’04
