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Netjraskan
Thursday, July 14, 1994
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Deborah D McAdams .. . ..Editor. 472-1766
Matt Woody. ... ....Features Editor
Martha Dunn..Copy Desk Chief
Derek Samson. . . .. • Staff Reporter
Brian Sharp.. . .Staff Reporter
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Kids need rules
Federal programs can t replace parents
US. Attorney General Janet Reno will be in Lincoln
tomorrow to review Nebraska’s strategic plan for youth
* violence. Lincoln, Denver, Atlanta and Washington D.C.
arc part of the project called Pulling America’s Communities
Together (PACT) that matches community needs with federal
resources.
There arc high hopes for this youth violence prevention pro
gram. Agencies and individuals throughout the state have pulled
together to develop this strategic plan.
People are tired of reading about 14-ycar-old kids pulling guns
on each other. Incidents involving kids and guns used to be
something that only happened in poor, inner-city neighborhoods.
Then the phenomena spread to the suburbs, where kids were
finding the household firearm and showing it off to friends,
occasionally blowing off a head. Now, a minor pulls a trigger
nearly every day in Omaha.
It’s just a matter of time before a Lincoln teenager shoots
someone, and all the federal resources in the world won’t prevent
it from happening. Only parents can prevent youth violence.
Quite a few of those parents regularly beat their spouses and
their children. Some parents do drugs in front of their kids, and
others use their children for sex. Some parents just ignore their
kids, believing that a half an hour of “quality time” is sufficient
daily attention.
People have to get a license to drive a car. They even have to
wait a few days before they can purchase a handgun. Most
professions require certifications, but anyone with adequate
plumbing can make babies.
Perhaps some of those rederai resources snouia go into educat
ing the public about parental responsibility. Some people might
continue to use their contraceptives if they thought parenting
required more than a few minutes of quality time here and there.
Parents may have to be held responsible, to some extent, for
the actions of their kids, particularly those parents who leave guns
where kids can get to them.
Kids, just like everybody else, need rules, and rules need
consequences. Too many parents arc reluctant to enforce rules.
The people who approved a few lashes from a bamboo cane for a
young vandal arc the same ones who arc sick of seeing criminals,
young and old. go unpunished in the United States.
The efforts of the attorney general along with several youth
violence prevention programs arc important, and they reflect the
concern this nation has for a growing illness in this country.
Nothing, however, will prevent youth violence as much as birth
control for people who don’t have time to be parents.
I 1)1 IONI M l*ol K N
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Summer 1994 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 ofthe newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its students
I I I I I K IN >1 It N
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M il SI’EARS
World Cup ’94 ignites passion
AsAmericaagomzedovercvcry
shred of new evidence in ihc
O.J. Simpson preliminary
hearings, something far more inter
esting was taking place near the con
verted soccer fields across America.
The World Cup had come to the Unit
ed States for the first time, and rabid
soccer devotees from Russia to
Cameroon to Brazil flooded the cities
hosting the playofT matches. Ameri
cans, many of whom view soccer akin
to warm milk, greeted the colorful
fans with a sense of amusement and
curiosity until the Simpson hearings
diverted their attention. Only the sur
prising success of the U.S. soccertcam,
and the subsequent murder of Colom
bian star Andres Escobar, redirected
America’s focus to the World Cup.
Escobar was shot by three men in
Colombia, apparently for accidentally
scoring a goal for the United States
which resulted in a 2-1 loss for Co
lombia in the first round.
Still, the fans were the story in this
edition of the World Cup, and Amer
icans learned that these fanatical fol
lowers of soccer may not be much
different from themselves. For exam
ple:
• World Cup fans are passionate.
Tens of thousands of fans traveled
hundreds of thousands of miles to
cheer their team. The faithful paint
their faces, chests, hair and other avail
able body parts in their nation’s col
ors. They stand the entire match, sway
ing in unison and waving their coun
try’s flag with pride.
• World Cup fans can be cruel and
unforgiving in defeat. Escobar’s mur
der reflects a trend, though a less
violent one so far in the United Slates,
of overemphasizing the role of sports
— and winning — in society. A sign
once hung in the locker room of the
University of Minnesota that cautioned
“Defeat is worse than death because
you have to live with defeat.” Three
Colombian gunmen apparently dis
agreed.
A sign once hung in the locker
room of the University of
Minnesota that cautioned “Defeat
is worse than death because you
have to live with defeat.” Three
Colombian gunmen apparently
disagreed.
• World Cup fans arc sometimes
half-witted. As the Netherlands na
tional team prepared to fly from Or
lando, Fla., to Dallas for its next match,
a Dutch sportswritcr amused himself
by tellinga flight attendant that he had
a bomb in his bag. The plane was
quickly directed to an isolated area,
and takeoff was del ayed for fvc hours.
The Dutch sports writer now faces fed
eral charges for the hoax.
• World Cup fans arc very knowl
edgeable (with the help of the media).
AftcrColombia’s defeat to the United
States, Colombia’s newspapers ran
front-page headlines as if the entire
country was disgraced by the loss.
Later, when Mexico was defeated in a
shootout by underdog Bulgaria in the
tournament’s second round, the Pres
identof Mexico publicly criticized the
strategy and substitutions employed
by the team’s coach.
• World Cup fans are sometimes
half-witted (part two). An Albanian
who was short of cash was so confi
dent that Argentina would defeat Bul
garia in a first-round match that he
slaked his wife on the outcome. The
wager seemed fairly safe: Argentina
had won the World Cup twice, while
Bulgaria had not won a single match
in 17 previous attempts. Bulgaria’s 2
0 victory left thedazed Albanian plead
ing for government assistance in re
covering his wife.
• World Cup fans love a good
rumor, regardless of whether it is true
or riot. Three months before the World
Cup began, it was reported that the
Swiss national soccer team coach Roy
Hodgson had informed his players
that they would not be allowed to
indulge in any sexual contact for the
duration of the month-long competi
tion. Hodgson denies ever making
such a statement, but the fans aren ’ t so
sure.
• World Cup fans are sometimes
treated to hcarteningdisplaysof sports
manship. The players of Cameroon,
whose team was the Cinderella story
of the 1990 World Cup, played most of
the summer without being paid for
their services. American fans, who
watch as pro athletes averaging over
$1 mill ion each year threaten to go on
strike, appreciated the selflessness of
the players.
The chaos and pageantry that fol
lows the World Cup may come to
America once more in the future. FIFA,
the governing body of international
“football,” was impressed with the
organization and sellout crowds the
host country del i vered. Thus, the Unit
ed States may host the event again as
soon as the year 2010. No doubt fans
will still come from all over the world
to support their team, creating more
interesting anecdotes along the way.
No doubt the United States will once
again host a spectacular event. What
remains to be seen is whether Amer
icans will be able to give World Cup
2010 its undivided attention.
Neil Speari is a senior psychology sad Kn
gUsli major and a DaUy Nebraskan columnist.