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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
â–  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
â– 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
â– pa Alpha pledge book was
|nd containing racist comments
i by fraternity members. In
I, the fraternity was placed on a
â– -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
â– 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