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E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online: www.dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Oregon Daily Emerald
COMMENTARY
-1 i
Editor in Chief:
Brad Schmidt
Managing Editor:
Jan Tobias Montry
Editorial Editor:
Travis Willse
EDITORIAL.
Reality shows
keep tradition
of exploitation,
degeneration
Not much time has passed since the last time we ad
dressed the current state of reality television, but the new
shows — and old — have taken a nose-dive for the worst.
Most recently, Fox has continued its noble exploitative
efforts with its newest hit, "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance."
In this compelling documentary into the human soul,
cameras follow a hapless woman as she attempts to con
vince her friends/family/dog that a "big, fat, obnoxious"
guy is really the love of her life.
The kicker is that even in her attempts to fool everybody,
she herself is also being fooled; her husband-to-be is an ac
tor, unbeknownst to her.
What results is a woman who constantly fears her fiance's
behavior will embarrass her, a guy who prances around act
ing like a jackass (the wine-in-the-hot-tub scene is especially
classic) and family members who agonize over the fact that
their daughter is about to marry Bluto from "Animal House "
But Fox isn't giving up now. A quick browse through the
network's show listing on its Web site reveals the upcoming
drivel we can expert in the future, including "Divorce Sto
ries." The advertisement states: ""Divorce Stories, a new
network reality show is casting for divorced men, over 21
years of age who have been divorced in the last 5 years. You
could win money!"
Oh boy! Money! It's a good thing this country has such a
high divorce rate, or Fox wouldn't get its paycheck. What
was that about marriage being a sacred institution,
again?Divorce Stories, a new network realContinuing the
rapid slide into absurdity is yet another season of "Ameri
can Idol," and this year Simon swears it's the worst group
yet. Given that the only idols the show has produced
should be punctured with nails for voodoo purposes so
they'll shut up already, we'd tend to agree.
And who can forget the MTV classic, "Nick and Jessica,"
which is quickly teaching Americans that being filthy rich,
having no musical talent whatsoever and never learning
how to tie your own shoes can make for great TV!
To supplement the stupidity of the show, MTV challenges
readers of its Web site to take the "Tuna or Chicken Chal
lenge" ("Is it tuna? Is it chicken? Jessica couldn't tell the dif
ference, can you?"). Aside from the "burps, farts and food-re
lated foul-ups" last season provided, MTV promises this
season will include a compelling look at "the parties, the per
fomiing, the love; and of course, the 'Jessica Moments' as Nick
and wifey make their celebrity marriage work...."
It's a good thing they take their marriage seriously
enough to get it on film. God forbid they use it for mone
tary gain and prove to us all that it's all a sham. After all,
that might give all the decent, hardworking heterosexual
married couples the wrong idea!
Reality television on the boob tube isn't showing any
signs of improvement but we have yet to see the trend sub
side. For the good of society, we hope that happens soon.
EDITORIAL POLICY
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald
editorial board. Responses can be sent to letters
©dailyemerald.com. Letters to the editor and guest
commentaries are encouraged. Letters are limited
to 250 words and guest commentaries to 550 words.
Authors are limited to one submission per calendar
month. Submission must include phone number and
address for verification. The Emerald reserves the right
to edit for space, grammar and style.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Brad Schmidt Jen Sudick
Editor in Chief Freelance Editor
Jan Tobias Montry Ayisha Yahya
Managing Editor News Editor
* Travis Wiilse
Editorial Editor
Panhandlingpredicament
Every day on campus I'm approached by
panhandlers looking for spare change — a
quarter here, a dollar there. Most of the time
I stick my hands in my pockets and do a
quick search, but I usually don't come up
with anything besides pocket lint.
I say, "Sorry I don't have any," and
walk on by. Then I feel guilty for the next
block. What if they really needed medi
cine? Or food?
As recently as December, Oregon was
leading the nation with an unemployment
rate of 7.2 percent; the national average
was 5.7 percent for the same month, ac
cording to the United States Department
of Labor. High unemployment rates lead
to a drop in consumer purchasing, includ
ing purchasing of food.
Not long ago, I decided that I would
give change to everyone who asked. I car
ried around a couple of dollars in change
in my pockets and doled out dimes and
nickels whenever approached. Then one
day when I was walking to the grocery
store to buy rice and beans for the week,
an older man who very much looked like
he had been sleeping in a gutter asked me
for change. As I repositioned my bag to
reach in my pocket he made the comment
that a buddy of his had just "scored some
really dank green buds." I suddenly didn't
have any money.
I don't have anything against pot, but
I'm not going to give anybody part of my
food money to go buy a sack; and to think,
I thought he was hungry.
After that, I had a harder time giving
away change. I switched to food, because I
Aimee Rudin
Five feet of fury
thought it was more direct and a better use
of resources.
According to the Oregon Food Bank, in
2003 the number of people who relied on
emergency food banks to put food on the
table increased for the seventh straight
year. The OFB provided an estimated
780,000 people in Oregon and Southwest
Washington with emergency food boxes
between July 2002 and June 2003.
Oregon soup kitchens and emergency
shelters also provided 4.4 million emer
gency meals to people in need.
I gave away probably 15 peanut butter
sandwiches over the course of a month. I
just carried an extra one with me in my
lunch, but then I had a woman ask me for
change and when I offered her a sandwich
she just sneered and said, "I don't want
your leftovers."
According to the Oregon Center for
Public Policy, Oregon's high hunger rate
stems from four main conditions. Hous
ing costs have soared while wages have
remained static, the gap between rich
and poor families grew four times faster
in Oregon than elsewhere in the nation
during the last decade, there are fewer
family-wage industrial jobs and more
low-wage service jobs in Oregon than
ever before and seasonal employment is
on the rise.
I can't do anything about any of these
problems, and I've already tried giving
away change and sandwiches. I want to
do something, but I'm running out of
ideas.
Contact the columnist
at aimeerudin@dailyemerald.com.
Her opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Protest that which really kills
This letter is in response to Jacqueline
McDonald ("Abortion takes away a
choice, * Register-Guard, Feb.l) and I
have to say I agree that those mean boys
yelling nasty things at you for protesting
was not very nice! I'm sure it felt like they
were judging you for an isolated charac
ter flaw, and they hadn't even heard your
pro-war stance.
Since you do most likely align yourself
with some other Judeo-Christian beliefs,
I'm positive you raced right home and said
a little prayer for those boys. In fart, I'm
saying a prayer for you right now! On my
yoga mat, I ohm and urge my higher pow
er to kindly show your hypocritical reli
gious ass a good dose of reality!
The reality is, you've never been
through an agonizing decision if you've
got the nerve to light a candle and
protest someone else's. Besides, if you're
going to be so fanatical, why don't you
line the driveways of all the SUV drivers
(who spill gallons of pollutants into our
air each day, killing people who are truly
alive) with candles and hymnals? And if
you truly care about innocent people los
ing their lives, why aren't you protesting
the war? Is it because some rich white
guy who claims to be godly says it's for
our own good?
Here is a novel idea; try supporting
those agencies who are teaching medically
accurate sex education, and give up on this
lunacy of "abstinence only." It might save
you some candles!
Adrienne Stuart
senior
education