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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (March 11, 1998)
Wednesday, March 11, 1998 Canby HS: armed, on the defensive BRAD ZIMMERMAN Co-Editor-in-Chief "ARMED AND READY TO DEFEND." Sounds like an Army or Marine recruiting poster, right? Normally, one would think so. But Canby High School used a military theme on a fund-raising poster this year to It's unfor illustrate the fact tunate that that they are de a couple of fending the Pa- cific-7 Conference kids are championship going to they shared with read more McMinnville last into this year. poster than The poster fea-- was tured the basket intended. ball team in mili tary fatigues and Brad holding assault Zimmerman rifles. Co-Editor-in- Now some Chief Canby High School parents have started pro- testing. Twenty-five people signed a letter to the Canby School Board to complain that, rather than pro moting the team, the poster pro motes violence.. These days, the U.S. Army doesn't necessarily represent a vio lent force. Rather, it represents a force that has been used to achieve democracy throughout the world. Kuwait and Bosnia come to mind. However, I'm sure in the minds of the concerned parents, Vietnam or World War II comes to mind, where the U.S. Army was used to fight in extremely bloody wars. In the traditional sense, the U.S. Army and Marines symbolize ex treme unity, precision and team work. Arid that's exactly what sports represents, too. Why wouldn't a military theme be appro priate?- Nonetheless, I think it's folly to read more into the poster other than what's right in, front of students and parents: basketball team dressed up, raising money and motivating the team. It's ironic that most high school stu dents probably don't see anything wrong with the poster. Canby High junior Lori Komp said she doesn't understand what the big deal is. Most students, she said, aren't reading anything into the poster. Perhaps that's because the majority of parents were alive during the Viet nam conflict, and see the military as something to fear rather than what they represent today. I think that if parents are truly concerned about the poster sending the wrong message to kids, they ought to either trust their kids to not draw anything from the poster — simply that it's a fund-raising poster. Or, if they think their kids are go ing to draw some unhealthy conclu sions, to simply sit down and talk to their kids about it. It's unfortunate that a couple of kids are going to read more into this poster than was intended. But it isn't the team's fault — or the poster's — that these kids are drawing the wrong con clusions: it's a lack of parenting. Instead of concerned parents writ ing a letter to the school board, they ought to just sit down with their kids and ask them what they think about the poster and try to correct any mis- MIKE GARCIA Copy Editor gwe can’/ justtake it ■ for granted that chil dren can work out the Sym bolism in their heads. Mike Garcia Copy Editor COUâARC- B ô CtackaniGS Print Staff « 19600 S. Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045 (503) 657-6958 ext. 2309 cccprint@clackamas.cc.or.us -in-Chief: Christina Mueller Copy Editor: Mike Garcia Advisor: Brad Zimmerman Photo Editor: Timothy Bell Linda Vogt Feature Editor: ^Éâoel P. Stemperi Sports Editor: ^E®ohn Thorbum Business Manger: Co-A&E-Editors: Jared Bezzant Mairin-Anne Moore Cartoonist: *' ’ Alex Mahan For us to dismiss the poster for Canby High boys' basketball team, we would have to purposely ignore the larger issue behind the contro versy—that of military force and its purpose. Naturally, those who oppose the promotion understand that it was not intended to be a wholesale endorse ment of guns in the hands of teenag ers. They’re aware of the symbolism. But there are a few mixed messages in there that could prove dangerous, especially when combined with other mixed messages we see every day in the media. I’ve always wondered why we’re so quick to adopt the Armed Forces—the U.S. Army in particu lar—as symbols for America, like apple pie and baseball. To the de signers of the poster, armed force represents all that is good about America. But why? The Army, its uniforms and its weapons are part of our Defense De partment. Their role is to defend those who need help. That’s what’s admirable about the Army. But I differ with those who think we’re entitled in any way to “flex our military muscle,” We’re not in d Z a OM STRI?! ' the Dark Ages; we’re not a con quering nation. To show another government “what America is made of,” by pummeling them with troops and artillery, is to misuse our armed forces. We fight as a last resort. When the Army is called into action, we should be filled with regret that human lives must be taken. We shouldn’t be happy Americans, saying, “We’re showing them who’s boss.” Canby High’s poster, as well as many Armed Forces posters, feeds off the wrong attitude. The athletes are literally striking a pose, ready to fire away. Which is okay when you’re shooting a basketball. It’s not the first thing that should en ter your mind when you have a gun. It seems obvious to us college students that when the basketball team is on a poster that says “armed and ready to defend” at the top, the metaphor should be clear: it means they’re armed with a good field-goal percentage and ready to defend on the bas ketball court. But when the team is transformed into soldiers, maybe that metaphor becomes a little less clear to some people. In an interview with the Orego- nian, Canby superintendent Stephen Miller said, “From my standpoint, I respect the sensitiv ity to violence. We have a policy of no guns, and here we have a picture of students holding guns.” This quote isn’t necessarily profound, but it still hits the nail on the head. To adults, this may seem like a simple miscalculation, the out come of which won’t affect any one. But I think it can contribute to a larger problem. With a steady mental diet of images like these, children can slowly but surely form the opinion that deadly force is good. We need to keep the idea in their heads that deadly force is a necessary evil. We can’t just take it for granted that children can work out the symbolism in their heads. There’s too much of a chance that one or two of them won’t be able to. Chartwells Invites you to lunch. Or dinner or breakfast. Open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. for all your needs. The place to eat on campus! Secretary: JoAnneGale Mark Hoffman (ext. 2578) Staff Writersand Production: Laura Armstrong, Kristina Brooks, Adam Crum, Erie Eatherton, Kim Hame McMichael, Jeremy Stallwood, and Robert Schoenberg. J|e Clack'S I aims to report the njfc^r^Jjionest, unbiased, professional manner. The opinions ex- JpQssed in The Clackamas PrinUdo not necKaAftflect those of the student body, college administration, its faculty or The Clackamas Priljqf'ertisers. Products and services advertised in The Clackamas Print are not necessarily endorsed by anyone associated with The Clackamas Print. The advertising rate is $4.75 per col inch. All signed letters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be considered for publicati submitted by 1 p.m. the Friday prior to publicatim^The Clackamas Print is a blication and is dis uted every Wednesday excentuawkfinals weeWK Wednesday, March 11, 1998
