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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1996)
EDITOR DougKouma OPINION EDITOR Anne Hjersman EDITORIAL BOARD Doug Peters Matt Waite Paula Lavigne Mitch Sherman Anthony Nguyen TV troubles Parental guidance rwxjmmendedbyAMA From The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, Calif. Statistics about the pernicious effect of young Americans* addiction to television and other entertainments are hardly news. The litany of ills associated with exposure to TV and other media, although sometimes over blown, is real enough. Most troubling of all are the links between media violence and violence in eveiyday life. Small wonder, says die American Medi cal Association. New guidelines issued to 60,000 physicians nationwide recently note that by age 18 the average American child will have seen thousands of acts of televised violence and that more than half our kids now have a television set in their bedrooms. The AMA guidelines, designed to help physicians educate parents and families about media violence, mainly focus on what they call “media literacy”—ways to manage and regulate die kind and amount of TV and en tertainment kids receive. Backed by a nationwide survey that shows widespread support for more inclu sive, tighter rating systems, the AMA pro posals center on individual and family re sponsibility. For example, 77 percent of registered voters surveyed in the AMA poll want a rat ing system for television programs, and 65 percent said the rating system for movies should be stricter. The same sentiments ap plied by lopsided maigins to music and com puter games, as well. Perhaps most encouraging was the find ing that 66 percent of adults say they have turned off a television program or left a the ater because the program was too violent— but. the younger the .viewer, the less likely the decision to turn it off. Most patents* like wise, say fiiey have rules at home about when children can watch television — but the younger the parent, the less likely there are to be rules. Messages froom the bully pulpit by the likes of President Clinton and former Edu cation Secretary Bill Bennett can help pro voke changes in the media climate. Inven tions such as the V-chip will add some au thority to parental restrictions, and rating systems supply information on which to make decisions. But with all that said and done, it is fundamentally true, as the AMA guidelines make plain, that “media literacy” is mainly about common-sense restrictions and constant attention at the family level. That prescription still offers the best rem edy. Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials me Ac opinions of the Fall 1$96 Daily Nebraskan. They do not neces sarily reflect the views of die University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the University ofNebraska Board of Regents. A column is soky the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents ser/es as pub lisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. The UNL Publications Board, established by die regents, supcrviaes the production of the news papet According to policy set by the regents, • responsibility for the erfitorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its stu dent employees. Letter Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief let ters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submit ted material becomes the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be pfoGshea.ThoiKwlwsulnitlettereiiiRist identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebras kan. 34 Nebraska Union, 1400R St Lin coln, Neb. 68588-0448. E-mail: letters® unlinfounl.edu. t'MlSskU • : . ' >• • ; « £Sr*$*r /:t;\ - :•. *A!ii MEHSLIXG S MEW M S 4/a/(jm'tkwA&fos LETTERS Mistaken identity Dear Stacey Range: Thursday’s article about the use of HuskerVision to run public service announcements 1 raised the issue of abuse, and was a great article. I have no complaint with the article, but with the name of the guy used as the example of beating the crap out ofhis<£irlffifnd. The probleWi,sy6a'^dd,1ssthat my name is very close to the ^me you used in the newspaper. Vou used “Greg Niel,” and my name is Greg Neill. I had several friends ask me if I % beat my girlfriend. Others told me that I had my name in the DN. I really don’t want to be looked at as a woman abuser to the general public who does not know me, nor to my friends who know me. I am one of the last persons who would condone physical abuse toward a woman. If you could, please use the old standard, John Doe. Please inform me as to how you plan to prevent this situation from occurring again in the future. It is my feeling that I am taking a light-hearted look on your mistake of using a name that is very similar to mine. I just ask you to check the SIS system to make sure that your example is not closely related to a student attending the university. Greg Neill criminal justice EDITOR'S NOTE: The name “Greg Niel” was selected by the ' creators of the domestic violence ads, not by the editors or staff of the Daily Nebraskan. Touch guys? Dear Steve Willey: Loved your • column, “Carnal confusion,” in Friday’s Daily Nebraskan—with one exception: pain. When my husband, say, stubs his toe (sometimes during daylight hours), he has to swear and whine. Jim Mehsung/DN Then he sits down in front of the TV for 10-15 hours to recoup. I, on the other hand, usually stub my toe about 3 a.m. on my way to soothe my 4-year-old’s nightmares. I “suck it up” and tell her everything’s OK, tuck her in and finally feel my way back to bed — all the while, my husband never even notices I’m gone. And don’t forget childbirth. If men had to do it, we (as humans) would have died out centuries ago. But then again, I might just be sensitive to the whole thing because of that “women’s problem.” Jana Bartels senior secondary education Solutions, not SYMRtTHY In response to Cliff Hicks’ column, “No more prejudice, please” (Oct. 1), I would first like to say that if you did have a diverse color range of friends, then I don’t see how you would feel ashamed of anything, let alone being white. k>^iAJiiuiy, wiiai uu yuu lining u that is making you feel ashamed to be white? Who is it that you are addressing this column to, and who do you want held accountable for racism and a high rape rate? Are the schools that taught you about the history of slavery and the Native Americans to blame? Is it the media, for showing educational, truthful movies like “Malcolm X”? Ultimately it will be yourself, • myself and those close to us—each ■ individual, regardless of race. The question is not did you perpetuate racism, but did you help to destroy it? Who would make you want to go around and apologize to every black person for injustice, besides your self? % I think you should research the subject of white male paranoia. Try to come up with a solution for yourself as to why white American men feel the way they do toward themselves, other ethnicities and women. Try to learn the history of America through someone outside your vantage point. It will change how you see others, yourself and the world and why you feel attacked. Finding an answer will only be attainable through the truth. You took an elementary step toward that in watching “Malcolm X,” but that may have been too much for you. , , No one wants your sympathy or apologies, and don’t feel singled out because, through collective action, everyone is attempting to gain self respect and cultural pride. What will be your next step? Will you keep trying to find someone to blame, or continue to look like a hypocrite who makes politically correct statements yet only needs to look in the mirror for answers to debased questions. You will stop being ashamed when you take action to end the injustice you say exists in America. ' J. Vinnie Murphy junior Setfd letters to: