Opinion
TI ie CI ac I ìamas P rìnt
L
WEdNEsdAy, M ay 1, 2002
Be strong: Turn
School shootings shock population
off your television
Last week was TV Turnoff Week,
a yearly event promoted by, among
others, the Adbusters Media Foun
dation iwww.adbusters.org'). The
point of this event is to encourage
people to turn off their sets long
enough to see how much they are
missing by whiling away the hours
in front of them. The effort is nice to
see, and I hope that it succeeds with
a few people. I’ve got my own rea
sons for not watching television.
About two years ago, I was sit
ting in a class in high school. The
teacher wanted us to watch yet an
other movie on the television, and
my friend Mike and I became fed up
and turned our desks away from the
television set. As we faced the rest
of the class, who were all staring
blankly at the set, I made an interest
ing observation: People watching
TV are incredibly ugly.
Just from observing people, it be
came obvious this culture was be
ing spoon-fed to the people around
me through the medium of television.
People were playing out roles as
signed through TV, incorporating TV
melodrama into their everyday lives,
mimicking the characters on TV.
I decided to stop watching televi
sion altogether. I suffered withdrawal
at first. After I got over that, I no
ticed that things began changing in
my life; I began to see the world
more clearly, my very perception of
the world changed, my perception
of time changed, and I felt more
alive.
One of the best books I have ever
read is “Four Arguments for the
Elimination of Television” by Jerry
Mander. Mander was once presi
dent of an advertising agency, but
he and his partners dissolved the
agency when they realized that their
growing awareness and concern for
the well-being of the planet was at
conflict with their corporate work.
From this book I learned much
about the human body and mind
and why television has the effects
that it does.
A friend of mine has two children
who watch TV at their grandpar
ents’ house and at their babysitter’s.
Over the last couple years, I’ve seen
what TV does to kids. The young
est, Nathaniel, is an excellent ex
ample. He tells jokes that make no
sense, but are structured just like
the jokes on TV. He doesn’t have
to get a joke on television because
the structure and the canned laugh
ter have taught him when to laugh.
The longer he watches TV, the more
ill-behaved he becomes when the
set is turned off. My friend told me
the way he behaves after watching
Power Rangers scares her.
I recently read an essay by
Marie Winn that appeared in the
1977 book “The Plug-In Drug.” In
this essay entitled “TV Addic
tion,” Winn discusses the mean
ing of addiction and how it applies
to television.
She quotes a “heavy viewer” (a
college English instructor): “I find
television almost irresistible.
When the set is on, I cannot ig
nore it. I can’t turn it off. I feel
sapped, will-less, enervated. As I
reach out to turn off the set, the
strength goes out of my arms. So
I sit there for hours and hours.”
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When I heard that a 19 year-
old, angered German teenager
walked into a school armed with
a shotgun and,a pistol and shot
15 adults and two students be
fore killing himself, I was in
deep shock.
The shooting occurred last
Friday in a small German town
called Erfurt, not too far away
from where I used to live. The
gunman who was dressed all in
black killed 14 school employ
ees, a police officer, two girls,
himself and left at least six
wounded people behind.
Of course, the attack evokes
images of the Columbine High
School shootings in Colorado
three years ago. Once again, an
angered student who suppos
edly couldn’t handle life any
more and was upset about
school decided not to only
take his own life but also the
ones of many other innocent
people.
I know that German people
have always considered their
country to be far less vulner
able to the violence that has
afflicted U.S. campuses. I can
imagine that this incident must
have sent shock waves across
the whole nation. However, ac
cording to the Oregonian, this
is the forth homicidal attack in
fewer than three years.
The Oregonian reports that
German Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder said that citizens
were stunned and horrified and
he urged people to examine the
social as well as political fail
ures that might have contrib
uted to the tragedy. I am pretty
sure that there are social fac
tors that contribute to inci
dents such as this. However, I
also think that a lot of teenag
ers see and hear about all
these tragedies happening
somewhere else and get their
ideas from there.
I know that handguns in Ger
many are largely prohibited ex
cept for members of the armed
forces and police. Germans
who want to buy a hunting rifle
for example must undergo ex
tensive background checks
lasting up to a year. But still, it
seems like for many teenagers
it’s quite easy to get a gun.
They just have to go to a big
ger city or go to a neighboring
country such as Poland or the
Czech Republic. Maybe this is
an issue that has to be looked
at. It should not* be that easy
for teenagers or any individu
als to have a gun without ac
quiring a license.
I would have never thought
that such an incident would
happen to a city such as Erfurt.
All the things you always here
on the news seem so far away
and you never think it could
happen to you. But I guess it
could happen anywhere to any
body. Now I wonder how
things are going to change in
Germany. I’m pretty sure they
will. Just like new rules and
new safety measurements have
been established at schools in
the U.S. to make schools a
safer place, things will change
in Germany as well. And prob
ably for a good reason because
you should be able to go to
school without being scared of
being shot at a place where you
are supposed to learn some
thing and get prepared for life.
To reach Maggie Jirasek e-
m
a
i
I
bunny_97222@yahoo.com or
drop by B-104.
Viewing t.v. show pilots is
not all it’s built up to be
JENNIFER KANE
Staff Writer
I wouldn’t be an American if I
didn’t enjoy free stuff. So when
a friend of mine told me she got
four free tickets in the mail for a
television preview session, I was
more than happy to go along.
The pamphlet that came with
the tickets explained that we
would be joining about 200 other
people in a hotel conference
room to watch the pilot episodes
of two T.V. shows, and some
commercials. We would then
have to fill out a simple survey
stating out opinions on the pro
grams. Sounded easy enough,
and maybe even a little bit en
joyable. We might even get some
free grub out of it.
Oh, how naive I was. We ar
rived to a large group of impa
tient people waiting outside the
room. Upon entering the room, I
see four 32-inch television sets
and folding chairs. Nowhere do
I see the movie screen and com
fortable seats that I came to ex
pect from the pamphlet.
Then we were handed the sur
vey. The front of it asked for our
names and addresses. Not know
ing exactly with whom I was
dealing, this made me a bit un
comfortable. But then we were
reassured the documents were Heartwarming, eh?
Afterwards my friend and I
shredded in three months. Gull
ible, I realize. A few days later, gave each other the same look.
the company tried to reach me at The look that says, “What and
my house 17 times. And this is the hell did we just sit through?”
in no way an exaggeration; caller I went to give her husband the
same look, but turns out he
I.D. is a splendid thing.
I opened the packet to find slipped out of the room within
pictures of everyday household the first five minutes of the
items. We were to simply circle show. Smart man.
The second pilot was a sitcom
which items we would normally
called
“City.” Turns out it was
use. What this has to do with
pilot episodes is still beyond me, actually made in “The Mary
but I was trying to keep an open Tyler Moore Show” days, but
mind. After the 27th page, it be they decided to show it to us for
came a bit monotonous. Why do kicks and giggles. This show
they need to know what was not nearly as bad as the first,
barbeque sauce or feminine pro and I actually found myself
laughing out loud on a few oc
tection brand I prefer?
Finally after about half an hour casions. But I just couldn’t get
of this silly survey, they started past the fact that it was based in
1975 and not very relatable.
the television programs.
All in all, two hours of my life
The first episode was a drama
entitled “Soul Mates,” and I can were completely wasted with this
honestly say it was some of the television preview extravaganza.
worst television I have ever There wasn’t anything free out
watched. The story line goes of it—no food, no drinks (not
that a woman seems to find her even water), no stickers, no pen
soul mate in one of her therapy cils even! And the television
patients. But while under hyp shows were on the borderline of
nosis, he confesses to commit awful. So my warning to you is if
ting a murder. This bothered her, you ever get the chance to do
but she couldn’t see past the something like this and think it
“true love.” The show ended sounds interesting, don’t be a
with the man parting town, only sucker.
To reach Jennifer Kane e-mail
leaving behind a letter to the
jenk403@aol.com
or drop by
woman stating that if it were truly
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104.
their destiny, they’d be together.