4
March
Meaningful children's television programs
overshadowed by newer, shallower shows
A lison F ieldhouse
"It's time for the Thinking
Chair!" Steve brings us
all to the big red comfy
chair to piece together the
clues that Blue left behind.
Unfortunately, those
familiar and comforting
scenarios from "Blue's
Clues" are on the decline as
good children's television
shows are starting to
disappear.
Where have all the good
shows gone? In the past
decade or so, legitimate
and appropriate children's
television shows have
slowly started to disappear.
Shows such as "Arthur,"
"Zoom," "Scooby-Doo,"
"Out of the Box" and
many others have been
overshadowed by a wave of
fairly new (in comparison)
television shows from
Disney Channel, Cartoon
Network and Nickelodeon.
"I think it's a shame that
shows such as Arthur are
being replaced by shallower
shows from Disney and
N ick elo d eo n . K id s can still
e n jo y television without the
superficiality of modern day
television," Sara Crawford,
junior, said.
The likes of "Hannah
Montana," "Chowder"
and "iCarly" have taken
children's television
by storm. Featuring
recognizable names and
faces in the media world,
"Hannah Montana" is not
only watched by 5.5 million
viewers, but it has grossed
millions for the star, Miley
Cyrus. Although the show
is aimed towards the youth
and tween age, it often
features topics and themes
that are not as suitable for
children. Not only this, but
Cyrus has been a target of
the media for numerous
occurrences, including less-
than-appropriate photos
when she was only 15.
Shows that will have
a good lasting impact on
children are now few and
far between. The simplicity
and creativity behind
"Arthur," the story behind
"Scooby Doo," and the
lessons taught by both "Out
of the Box" and "Zoom" are
dwindling. These factors are
what made the shows great.
Although some of these
shows weren't technically
educational, they were still
worth watching and often
had valuable lessons to
teach, pertaining to children.
Not all of the Disney,
Cartoon Network and
Nickelodeon shows have
nothing to offer. Often, these
shows teach values such as
friendship, responsibility
and the consequences of
certain actions. It is the way
that these shows teach these
messages that makes them
unsuitable for children. For
Photo by Mark Poppert
Children's television has, over the years, become host to shallower
shows. Kids now spend more time indoors than outdoors. The average
child watches 1500 hours of television a year.
11-12 year olds, it would be
fine because the shows deal
with teenagers and the trials
of being that certain age, for
children between 6-10 years
of age, not so much.
A way to bring back the
meaningful kids shows is to
slowly wean the kids off of
the pointless fluff that they
normally watch. Parents
could limit how long their
child watched these types
of shows or they could not
allow their kids to only
watch these shows. They
could try to encourage their
child to watch different
types of shows like "Arthur"
or "Zoom". These will help
to limit the effect that these
types of shows have on
children.
The OPB channel is
also a good place to look
for children's television
shows that teach while they
entertain. This channel is
the one that was and is host
to "Arthur," "Sesame Street"
and "Zoom". Educational
shows can be fun.
Not all hope is lost.
Cartoon Network still
frequently airs "Scooby
Doo" and with new shows
always coming out, the
industry may have more
to offer. Making the simple
switch from "Hannah
Montana" to shows like
"Arthur" is a touch of a
button away.
LGBT community seeks gender neutral bathrooms
M ark P oppert
Bathrooms are rarely
given considerable
thought. But in the
Lesbian Gay Bisexual
Transsexual community,
a bathroom or locker
room can be an
uncomfortable place.
Be it the fear of being
insulted by classmates,
the uncomfortable feeling
of changing with people
West Linn High School, 5464 West A Street, West Linn, OR 97068
(503) 673-7843 «fax: (503)657-8710 •
wlhs-amplifier@wlhs.wlwv.kl2.or.us
The Amplifier is published approximately every four weeks by the
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commentaries and editorials represent or
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you are attracted to,
or the dislike of being
branded as a gender you
don't associate with;
gender specific bathrooms
can be a major roadblock
for orientation-based
equality.
WLHS has two gender
neutral bathrooms for
students, both in its
outbuildings. Building or
converting a bathroom in
the main building would
be a major step and a
loud statement that our
school is a safe place for
all students. It would
also benefit the LGBT
community by providing
a safe place to use the
bathroom and change for
sporting events.
Arguments against a
gender neutral bathroom
are many, ranging from
cost to indecency, but
with more bathrooms
being converted in
schools and public
places, the arguments are
dwindling. People have
a right to be concerned
about how the changes
will affect them. It's true
that people could take
advantage, but at Lincoln
High School in Portland
there has not been any
issues with how the
gender neutral bathroom
has been used.
The cost of building
a new bathroom would
be approximately $2,000
but converting a gender
specific bathroom into a
gender neutral one can
be as easy as changing
the sign on the door.
People are more than
people probably don't
pay attention to who uses
which bathroom.
When push comes to
shove, a gender neutral
bathroom is as much a
public statement as a
utilitarian object. It allows
the LGBT community to
feel accepted and would
Photo by Mark Poppert
The gender neutral bathroom in the music building is one of the two
gender neutral bathrooms that WLHS already has. This bathroom is
always kept locked and is not available for student use.
willing to use a bathroom
in their home which
other genders use, why
shouldn't they use one
at school? Some people
fear being branded as
gay for using a neutral
bathroom. However, most
let the public know that
WLHS is a safe place for
all. Pushing toward this
easy and cheap option is
a no brainer, but without
the support of the WLHS
community we alienate
the LGBT community.