Opinion
Net?raskan
Friday, Octobar 15,1993
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick..
Kathy Steinauer....
Wendy Mott.
Todd Cooper.
Chris Hopfensperger
Kim Spurlock.
Kiley Timperley....
... Editor. 472-1766
Opinion Page Editor
. . . Managing Editor
.Sports Editor
... .Copy Desk Chief
.Sower Editor
Senior Photographer
()[ < > I i s ()l I ill W ilk
“/ would never say that we are treated equal
because I'm not stupid enough to say that we are
equal, but we are treated better than most other
programs and are on equal grounds In academic
services. ”
— Women's basketball coach Angela Beck on gender equity in
athletics at UNL
“We're not actively coming out against any
certain group. It's just the students that will be in
the booth and working in the booth will be hetero
sexuals. ”
— Shawntell Hurtgen, secretary of College Republicans,
explaining the purpose of a kissing booth at Broyhill Plaza on
Wednesday
“I’ve been really paranoid. Every time I’ve heard
the word ‘Barney, ’ / turn and look. I don’t know If
It’s going to be a mad mom, a little kid who’s dis
appointed with me or someone who’s laughing at
the whole thing. ”
— Travis Fox, University Program Council events director, who
has planned Barney-bashing events for UNL
“We don’t want foreigners coming here and trying
to tell us what to do!’’
— An unidentified Haitian man, protesting the arrival of U.S.
_ forces in Haiti
“We’re going to do to them what they did In
Somallal’’
— Another Haitian protester
“We felt like we were selling the bodies of our
19- and 20-year-olds for a fast buck. We have a
word for that In Utah. ”
— Chuck Bell, Utah State athletic director
“After viewing what the ESPN thing showed
about me, I feel the need to speak out. Much of
what was said about me was taken out of context.
Although I have friends who are gang members
and grew up In an area where gangs are common, I
am not a member of a gang, as ESPN and the
reporter said.”
—Nebraska football player Abdul Muhammad
“With gangs In LA., there are different levels of
Involvement. He said he Is not a killer, but consid
ers himself to be one of them — not a killer but
part of the group. ”
— ESPN reporter Shelley Smith, who said she stands behind
the story. ESPN has apologized to Muhammad for any embar
rassment the story may have caused him.
“It's going to be a happy, feel-good meeting.’’
— ASUN President Keith Benes, previewing Wednesday 's
ASUN meeting
"He Just said Ramaekers, I don’t know where, I
don’t know when and I don 1 know how but I’m gonna
get you. ’ Then he walked away. ’’
— Kevin Ramaekers describing a conversation he had with
Coach Tom Osborne after Ramaekers soaked Osborne with
water following the Oklahoma State game last week
I Di i < >i<I \i I'nih \
Staff editorial* represent the official policy of the Fall 1993 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the
university, its employees, the students or the NU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent
the opinion of the author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL
Publications Board to supervise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by
the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its students.
I i i 11 u I'm k \
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others.
Letters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space
available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Readers
also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. The editor decides whether material
should niana guest opinion. Letters ami guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be
published. Letters should included the author's name, year in school, m«uor and group
affiliation, ifany. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily
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‘Ridiculous’
I am writing to support Travis Fox
and the Barney Bashing day. The
controversy surrounding this event is
ridiculous.
The mothers who have voiced their
opposition to this event are not merely
standing up for their children’s idol,
but rather for a commercial giant.
You need only go to the toy store to
see this. Barney merchandise is ev
erywhere.
And while his purpleness teaches
youth about wholesome family val
ues, overseas he is paying cents an
hour to poor families working in his
sweatshops, stitching together dolls
made in his image, when he could be
helping the very families he preaches
to in the form of jobs here in America.
Barney is not that which he seems.
Lighten up, moms. 1 think Junior will
survive this ordeal.
Brice Sullivan
freshman
general studies
Barney
I am amused by all the hoo-ha
that’s been made over the scheduled
Barney Bashing. Apparently Mr. Fox
is a “child-hater” because he wants to
have an event for non-children to get
together to thump on an over
merchandized, saccharin, insipid TV
character.
There are so many more important
“evils” — racism, homophobia, etc.
—to contend with. Getting irate about
this inconsequential event is just silly.
I have a suggestion: I will leave my
6-year-old Barney-loving child at
home Nov. 10 and all other concerned
parents can do the same. Perhaps, in
addition, Mr. Fox would like to make
this a 17-year-old and up only event.
Nanci Rivenburg
senior
biological sciences
‘Hate campaign’
A purple dinosaur has taken aver
children’s minds (DN, Oct. 13). He
never experiences a flat tire, mid
terms, the .seat down on the toilet or a
bad hair day. It’s called brainwash
ing, and parents seem to be a v ictim as
well — treating Barney as a deity.
So why is Travis Fox the object of
a hate campaign? Perhaps because in
a world of disintegrating countries
and comipt leaders, he can find hu
mor and even fault in Americans who
at this time are obsessed with some
thing that should be hanging from a
rear-view mirror— namely, a purple
dinosaur.
As for Fox to dedicate his time to
a “worthwhile” cause, what? Green
space? Sam Kepficld? Lighten up.
Humor is what keeps us sane, espe
cially at UNL.
Jennifer Jaskolka
senior
political science
Editor’s aote: The following are letters seat
by cklldrea la the Holaaes Eleaseatary
Sdsool’s Oat prograas.
James Mehsling/DN
‘No reason’
Some of my friends and I arc writ
ing letters to try and stop the Barney
Bash because it’s teaching kids that
it’s OK to fight. 1 don't especially like
Barney, but still there is no reason for
him to fight Big Bird. In my opinion,
Barney and Big Bird are equal. I know
this was meant to be funny, but I think
the idea of bashing things that you
don’t like causes a lot of problems in
the world.
Little kids don’t know what the
UNL students are doing, and I don’t
think they would want to know that
one of their favorite characters was
tom apart and stepped on. If Travis
Fox thinks it’s so cool, why doesn’t he
take a look at how the little kids love
Barney and Big Bird the same. I think
that this whole thing is wrong, and I
hope that this letter will help stop it.
Miranda Barth
age 10
grade S
Fighting
When I first heard about a Barney
Bash, 1 thought it would be funny to
watch Big Bird and Barney fight. But
after I thought about it more and
more, and as I talked to smaller kids
and found out more about what was
going to happen. I started to think that
it wouldn’t be fun to see or fun to hear
about.
There are a lot of kids in the pro
gram that are a lot smaller than me,
and they love Barney. They wear
Barney shirts, Barney shorts and
Barney shoes.
1 ’ ve heard some rumors that they’ re
trying to bash Barney because the
show and all of the things that they’re
selling are making so much money.
Well, how would you like it if some
one took, your idol and tried to bash
him or make your idol go broke or
even make him go off national TV?
Turn your TV on and watch the
news sometime. At least two stories
arc about fights or crime, and now
you’re going to take two of the most
liked little kid heroes and let them
fight. You have to be crazy!
Please think about what I said.
Gator Russo
grade 5
Violence
I think that the boxing between
Barney and Big Bird is wrong because
you are making both of them violent.
When all of you college kids grow
up and have kids, you are going to say,
“What have I done? There is no Barney
on TV for my children to watch.”
Have you ever thought that maybe
the money that Barney makes is used
to help poor children? Bacney loves
kids, so don’t hurt him.
Alex Barth
grade 1
‘OK to fight’
We do not think it’s right that UNL
is having a Barney Bun. Little kids
will get the impression that it’s OK to
fight. If Travis Fox thinks it’s so cool,
why doesn't he put himself in the little
kids’, position. We think that this is
wrong and we hope this letter will
help stop it.
Elizabeth Bateman
Kristen Henke
ages 9
grade 4
Idols
1 don’t like what you are doing to
Barney. The little kids really like
Barney. They do not understand why
you are doing this. We don’t pick on
your idols. Please don’t pick on ours.
You don’t see us having a Herbie
Husker bashing party.
Jessica Keown
grade 2
‘Not funny’
I don’t think what you are doing is
right. Some kids like Barney and Big
Bird and those kids think that Barney
and Big Bird are friends. And now
they are fighting. Now those kids
won’t like cither Barney or Big Bird
and this is not funny. So don’t make
Barney and Big Bird fight just be
cause some kias like them and they
make a lot of money.
Rikki Neumann
grade 3
