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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1996)
VIEWPOINTS EDITORIALS, OPINIONS LETTERS TO THE iOlTOH Survivors’ agony, loss forgotten in trial hype ■ OUR OPINION: Mt >,» focus loo much on the accused and too Mite on the victims suffenng "Healing is an individual mailer and no on® can toll you whom you should tie.’* said Oklahoma tkiv Frank keeling during Iasi Friday's trihut® for (b« victim* of the bombing of the Federal Building But when the media's < overage primarily focuses on lha accused, lha hauling potted is often pro longed for these victim*. Observe the focus on today* most popular mur der trial* Q,j, Simpson, Richard Allen D*vi* and Timothy M» Veigh, who is scheduled to go to trial this fall til these «ases. the media* lemkncy is to attempt to enter the mind of dm mad man and uncover Urn lrod) •bout dmir aimu VVimdmr dm accused is guilty or innocent is of dm utmost importance — not dm victims’ pain and suffer ing It says quit** a bit id*tut wham American** kav inter est# lie and what they look for In news; entertainment Violence is at the com of entertainment in mote plat es than movie theaters it t an la» found on the cov ers of newspapers, in the reports of am hors and in the (tages of magazines It fascinates people. When an issue fascinates people, they pay money to absorb all M|M«1s of it — and the media make money. Often what will sell deter mines the media's focus. It the*# not tfelerrnine how responsibly and fairly the metlia wdl cover the event. Take the 0.|. Simpson trial. for example After Simpson w«« a* (quitted and th«* (Goldman family »hed their tom Imo on nattonal iclniwin, the media no longer fnaiwd on the v ic tim* and their progre** in baling. Invtfad. the new contro versial iwiB Mat how Afri« nft Amfrium and Cau casian.* responded to the verdict. Nowadays, it la very mo* to hoar about that Brown and Goldman faroilit**' pending civil suit again*! Stmpeon Howitvaf, on® will Intar the new video Simp •on made about the afwnirdi ty of the charge* against him year, when K»* hard Allan Divic cunfftttml to killing 12-vear-otd Polly M*u»s and led police to the body. the media focus ( hanged from the victiBM, Polly and her pmnti, to the murderer’s impending trial. Though one can attribute this media shift to the hype surrounding the Simpson Otoe, the fori remains that the media appear to care more about whether the confessed murderer is given the death penalty than If the Maas family has been able to move on with their live* We. as consumers of the media, should stop and remember that just because a trial is no longer men tioned on the front page of every newspaper nation wide it does not mean the victims have finished deal ing with the pain caused by the crime Whether the accused is found guilty or innocent, the fact of the matter remains (wopi# who were loved very dearly were ruth lessly murdered, Emerald *0 to* 5tt* ttJMW CtaatfWa, *.***) iw** Otft l«BHM • fcMM— Mat afeww «m<a iMMt *»** M !a.va«at*.>tia| at* awa**** aka <»«*•(>•* I •*•••■ N«an«*«t* «c « 1 -|T1“MI » MUDuteu ,>f f-w-iii , »- i —___ —.-» -— -l.,- ■ — -«-■ t.,..^. ■ “"IF" " ^ W t lTffwr Wm va/w* |KF*f V'Wwla'4** as a*M» a M* MM * »* la* Mamanaulmn 44 (tia tHMHMIll >*»f*aaa«« **» aw (Mama las* twww noun l»wnwwa»l»anniiwil »<a*»*t*»i «*r HaMlMM taMKWamn (*aaa> ttMi* ftaiwulT a tknwt ».T]*tnr - U * — ■-•» l a. —-, * —- ■ - — - — » — _ — ■ wf^jji an »■*> c^»r. Mr w »-®wr wMplK"iF% »V*fnfflRr ■awwata Caw* aasttt MMat taw uatto ftwaa* Saw* aaaaaaMaWM Qtaaa taamaa. X»Utw.it* ■aa t»« mmmtrnm mmt twawal OwaftaM auwaa Maoa.tw* watlktr tat* Mfc UMWa.r mm *mm Clout *m f*M*Ml Ur>a«aaMwt .** .-«* *wm »*> Maw Mb anaat Faaaa «•» How ><«, »W ■a ***** latuatwaut t» Waa Oaat* iaaaaa «<a*aa IWwawa MWF r irn fm*** Hrrt miit% ■* i*m ~ ISH T iT TRUE, MS. RENO, THAT You vt>URS6LP Could HAv£ CARR*€X> A DftuNS of PUEl Oil And A BAG OF feqjh. /2EC <ntd wr federal office BuilDiMG, iN YOUR PANTYHOSE, MAftin£-STVCE ? i What W€ can look forward to I Wt AwAiT KAT0% > Qtt«,tQ*J ON ' Y Parental guidance failure harms children A* I started my seventh mdt year. I fully espec tmi mv final project in NCU studios to he the high point W® w«w to br given * whole month to. got thi* do WHATEVER we wanted It needed to be educational in that w* had to loam something The only other retjuireoMiats were to include an adult mentor, a journal and a final presentation I sea* lucky; I knee* enact I y what I wanted to do. All l wanted to do wat rats® a sheep No small task, you might say. twit I had it all figured out I had found a farmer to mentor me. a sheep to adopt and I could hardly wait to get crocking on my journal trairies about Meiska (my sheep of c ourse). I confidently presented my idea to my mother. »nd my eauberam ** wa».«rushed when the firm reply was No, no no and no " I couldn't fault her masoning — | was and am intensely allergic to wool, but I knew it would base been different. I tumped from idea to idea in the nest few weed* — pigs were too much of a ha**le, hang gliding was too much of a responsibility and parachuting was fust too mu< h — too much dan ger too much height. )uat too much, according to mv mother, that t*. Though I hated her for it then, I see mv mom s wisdom now My U year-old mind and body Were fust OOt roads for the responsibilities I had net before myself Though l know I was rtsadv to do it, she knew (letter and said, quite simply. "No.” That Is whai made her a mother She knew when to draw the line and how to stick to n no rnattet how much 1 whined about the cruelty of life She would have rather had me whining than sneering, stuffed up. or worse — dead It seems like some parent* do not know when to sav. “No “ Or when to say. “Yes." for that matter Cbm of the most publicized stories of late is about Jessica DubrufT. the 7 year old who died following “her" dream At an age where most children get no higher than the tree* they climb, she was piloting a small plane She “decided" to lake off in the middle of a thunderstorm, and the price was three Uvea H«r statement on the eve before takeoff. “Fly ‘til I die." became tragically true, and the nation mourns her What kind of choice could she make thought The toughest dec ision a 7-yearold should have to make is for chocolate or raspberry Ice cream, not if weather conditions are good enough to attempt a record-breaking flight. Her room said. “Clearly I would want all my children to dia in a stale of joy. I mean, what more could I ask fur? I would prefer it was not at age seven but, G<xl. she went with her joy and her passion. and her life was in her hand*." Bui that** the problem. No 7-year-old. no mat ter how pm iou*. how brave, how inspired, should be expected to be completely responsible for themselves. It was not Jessica's responsibility or right It was her parents It was their responsibility to know when to say, "Yes," and when to say. "No way.*’ Then then’ are the parents who have all too easy of a time staying no. No to dancing. No to parties No too much needed treatment for leukemia. l-«*dv and Christina Hays made this decision for their 7 vear old son. Anthony, in t*m. As leukemia rapidly defeated his body, they say he didn't want medicine. They say Antnony jusi wanted prayers. Hut what he really needed was doc tors, and modicine, and someone to toil him what to do In |>ast cenlurie*. children worn perceived not ** * gift and a blessing. but as another pair of hand* to earn money No longer Parent* need to realize that children are not ttny adult* They are children And children should not be making decision* directly in flu encing their own live*. Their parent* should make the choice fur life, so they can coma to real ire their own goal*, tlwir own hope* and their own dream* — instead of living in their parents' shadow* Without giving children the chance to mature and grow, parents can steal their live* away A* for my seventh grade project. I didn't get an animal, and I lumped from no heights I learned to decorate cakes. It was the perfect choice. I learned a new way to express myself and was kept safe from harm in the meantime My mom came up with the cake idea I said I didn't want to do it But 1 finally gave in. and I even enjoyed ft. 1 wa* glad then, as 1 am now. that 1 learned how to decorate those cake* Now I can learn to skydive, parachute or take my life in my own hand* by taking on a pet that would leave me a sniveling, wheeling heap ft is my turn to lie an adult. I have that chance only because my mom took her turn at being a parent. Kay kmutiuheid. a sophomore mafaring in btalo gy and psychology, is <> columnist for the Kmer aid E-mail welcome kaykMgladstone uoregon edu
