, September 24,21
THE BATTALION
?lebration of the
Monday, September 24, 2001
DIANE SUAREZ • THE BATTALION
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Reflections of a
steady star
hildren need heroes. In
some cases, like now,
adults do too. They look to
soitmonc to set an example, to act
ina.'manner for people to strive
to emulate.
In these
extraordinary
times, we have
been given a
view of some
real heroes in
New York and
Washington. In
" more normal
times, athletes are often called
upon to carry the mantle of a
role model.
Sometime in the next couple
of weeks (depending on how
Major League Baseball resets the
schedule), Cal Ripken Jr. of the
Baltimore Orioles will take the
field for the last time as a player.
icently convicted
las sentenced to 4
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who is charged**
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MARK
PASSWATERS
r WAITING!
psed
055
lose one of the truly great people
in professional sports, and an era
will come to an end.
Certain things, in retrospect,
indicate the end of one's child
hood. For me, no retrospect is
needed. When Ripken hangs up
his jersey for the last time, the
end of his 20-year career will
eliminate the last vestiges of my
childhood.
When Ripken first put on an
Orioles uniform, Ronald Reagan
had been president for less than a
|year.The Soviet Union was still
our enemy. There was no CNN,
and the Internet would have been
considered a science-fiction
fantasy. For two decades, Ripken
made a very healthy living play
ing a game. He played it so well
and with such consistency that it
was literally impossible to
remove him from the lineup for
16 seasons.
Ripken's amazing consecu-
tive-games-played streak of
2,632 games overshadows his
other feats. He is one of only a
handful of players to have both
3000 hits and 400 home runs in a
career.
In 1990, he nearly went the
entire season without making a
fielding error, and his fielding
percentage for that season is the
best ever for a shortstop.
/ will miss Cal Ripken
greatly. So will a nation
in need of heroes.
When Ripken came to the
major leagues, “big” men did not
play shortstop. Small, quick play
ers, usually with little hitting
ability, played there. Ripken’s
excellence redefined the concept
of a shortstop, allowing players
like Alex Rodriguez and Nomar
Garciaparra to follow him.
While tall and strong, Ripken
was not the most gifted player.
He succeeded through hard work
and great intelligence. He would
change batting stances in the
middle of an at-bat if he found
something that worked better.
Slower than most shortstops,
Ripken studied opposing hitters
constantly, learning their tenden
cies. As a result, he was rarely
out of position when a ball was
hit to shortstop — or, later in his
career, third base.
What separates Ripken from
his peers the most was the class
and modesty with which he
approached his success. Unlike
some players who crave the spot
light and refer to themselves in
the third person, Ripken is rather
shy and awkward in public.
In spite of this, he has always
taken time for the fans. He signs
autographs before and after
games, in many cases for hours
on end. He has established sever
al charities in the Baltimore area.
His classy, blue-collar approach
to baseball has won over not only
the hard-nosed people of
Baltimore, but the nation as well.
I have never seen an Orioles
game where Cal Ripken was not
in the lineup. From childhood to
college. Cal Ripken was always
on the field. It will be difficult to
fathom listening to the radio or
when the Orioles visit Texas and
not hear the broadcasters say,
“Well, here comes Cal.”
In the movie “Field of
Dreams,” James Earl Jones said
that baseball is a “symbol of all
that was once good in America,
and can be again.”
Cal Ripken was the walking
manifestation of that ideal. I will
miss Cal Ripken greatly. So will
a nation in need of heroes.
Mark Passivaters is a senior
political science major.
CARTOON OF THE DAY
<£AUL
Asians are making their mark
on the entertainment industry
he portrayal of Asians in movies is
more positive now than it ever has been.
Successful movies such as Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon and
Rush Hour 2, are show
casing Asian celebrities
who are gradually becom
ing equal with their
Caucasian counter
parts.
Witli the Asian culture
slowly becoming main
stream, this trend no doubt
will have a positive effect on the film industry.
However, in order to better understand why it
is so important that Asians are now portrayed
in a positive light, one must understand the
history of Asians in the movie industry.
In the past, Caucasian actors played the
roles of the “Orientals”, under the reasoning
that the viewing public did not want to spend
their time watching an Asian on screen.
There might be some truth in this, while
Caucasians were trying to depict an
“Oriental” stereotype, Asians were merely try
ing to depict another human being.
When Asians were given roles, they were
primarily for the purpose of comic relief. One
example would be the role of the Japanese
man in Breakfast at Tiffany's. The entire role
was belittling and racist, culminated by
Audrey Hepburn pacifying Mickey Rooney
with, “Don’t be angry, you dear little man... If
you promise not to be angry, I might let you
take those pictures we mentioned.”
Asians were lumped together and given
one identity; regardless of the race of the per
son in the script, any person from an Asian
country would do, whether they were Korean,
Japanese or Chinese. While this held true
for many Asians at the time, the problem was
that there were few positive portrayals. It is
understandable to depict each race as having a
variety of occupations, and therefore being
reflected in the movies as such, but it is inex
cusable to depict an entire race as second-
class citizens.
A likely reason for The negative depictions
of Asians in the movie industry can be found
in the historical interaction of the United
States with people from the Asia. In World
War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War
the United States was fighting against people
of Asian descent. However, one must remem
ber that the United States also had Asian
allies. Until recently, Asian males were given
extremely weak roles, shown as economically
unstable, uneducated, socially inferior and
undesirable. According to 2000 census, the
median household income for Asian
Americans today is $51,200, almost $10,000
higher than that of European Americans. A
fifth of Asian-Pacific men over the age of 25
have advanced degrees, compared to the male
national average of 10 percent.
The difference is even more with Asian
females. Eleven percent of Asian-Pacific
women hold an advanced degree, whereas the
national average for women is 7 percent. Yet,
once again. Asian women tend to be typecast
into roles of obedient wives of Caucasian
men. If they are successful by their own
merits, they are portrayed as having discard
ed their Asian heritage and being
“Americanized”.
It tends to be especially difficult for an
Asian actress to play positive roles, as they
are almost always shown dating men who
are not Asian. In these settings, they have lit
tle contact with other Asians and seem to be
disconnected from the Asian community.
Some of the fault may lie within the
Asian culture. In addition, there is a lot of
mystery about this group, which may have
cultivated some of the stereotypes in the
movies. But fault can also be found in the
educational system. Every child in the United
States is taught from an early age that
African-Americans were discriminated
against and that the American Indians were
oppressed. However, seldom is the Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1882 mentioned, despite it
being the first significant law passed by
Congress restricting immigration into the
United States.
In 1902, Chinese immigrants were made
permanently illegal by the United States, and
their citizenship eligibility was not restored
until 1943. School children today learn
about segregated schools, but usually only
in the context of African-Americans.
Rarely is the Gentleman’s Agreement of
1906 mentioned, the policy that segregated
Asian school children in San Francisco.
Asians were at one point an oppressed
group in the United States and still are in
some industries, such as the movie industry.
Michelle Yeoh was denied the part that was
given to Carrie Moss in The Matrix, despite
Moss’s lack of experience in martial arts.
No wonder Yeoh declined supporting roles
in the sequels. Bruce Lee lost the starring
role in Kung Fu. the series he helped
develop and decided to return to Hong
Kong, where he became a major star.
The outlook now is much more posi
tive, with stars such as Zhang Ziyi becom
ing more and more popular. However, in
order to fully appreciate how far the Asian
race has come in the movie industry, it is
imperative for one to understand their
beginnings. Upon understanding the histo
ry, these recent successes are all the more
encouraging and a good indication that
Asians are finally becoming accepted into
American culture.
Ruby Lee is a sophomore
computer science major.
EDITORIAL
Texas AdrM University — Celebrating 125 Years
EDITORIAL BOARD
Brady Creel
Mariano Castillo
Cayla Carr
Jonathan Jones
Rolando Garcia News Editor
Editor in Chief
Managing Editor
Opinion Editor
Opinion Editor
Aggies Stand Tall
In the face of tragedy, A&M fields
an impressive show of spirit
The Texas A&M community came together
to form a powerful image of patriotism
Saturday. In the face of national tragedy, a
heartening reminder of the American spirit of
unity has risen from the ashes of terrorism.
The Red, White and Blue Out was a smash
ing success, and the nation
took notice. A picture of the
sea of America's colors that
graced Kyle Field on
Saturday was featured on
the frontpage of every
major newspaper in Texas.
And as they have noted,
only Aggies could have
pulled this off.
The small group of students who organized
and coordinated such a large event in a limited
amount of time are to be commended. There
were many obstacles along the way, includ
ing a lack of materials for the unexpected
The Red, White and
Blue Out was a
smashing success, and
the nation took notice.
demand and the race against time to meet it.
But overcoming of these challenges is an
indication of how, in Aggieland, the seeming
ly impossible in support of a good cause is
indeed possible.
To print and sell more than 70,000 shirts
and raise more than
$150,000 for relief efforts
is nothings short of amaz
ing. After selling out of
shirts on Thursday stu
dents flocked to help as an
overwhelmed local printer
could not meet the
demand.
With the assistance of the Aggie spirit and
the Internet, where the idea was born and
began to grow instantly, Aggies dealt with
this national tragedy much in the same way
they dealt with their own, two years ago this
fall: together, with a kind and giving heart.
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