Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1997)
' EDITOR DougKouma OPINION EDITOR Anthony Nguyen EDITORIAL BOARD Paula Lavigne Joshua Gillin Jessica Kennedy Jeff Randall Erin Gibson Guest VIEW Whose error? Children pay price for pushy parents From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel It’s official. Instructor error killed 7-year-old Jessica Dubroff last year when her small airplane took off in a Wyoming storm—with Jessica %% at the controls. Actually, tne child — repeat child —was being assisted in flight by pilot/in structor Joe Reid, who also died in the crash, along with a third passenger, Jessica’s father, Lloyd Dubroff. The National Transportation Safety Board has now blamed Reid forpoor judgment and for try ing to keep a sched ule to avoid being late for planned media in terviews along the route of their trans continental flight. Sharp winds and a spring storm felled the plane shortly after takeoff from Chey enne. The plane was 96 pounds over weight and its perfor mance was encum bered by the high al titude of the Cheyenne airport. f rc certainly do not allow children to drive automo biles. How in the world can we justify permitting the kind of stunt that cost three lives? It has been said before, but it bears re peating now that the NTSB has made its rul ing: A 7-year-old has no business being at the controls of an airplane. We certainty do not allow children to drive automobiles. How in the world can we jus tify permitting the kind of stunt that cost three lives? We know, of course, that some parents push their children to feats that their physical development and mental acuity are incapable ofhandling. . ■ ■ ■ j And we know that some parents live through their children the lives they them selves could not have. Unfortunately, as young Jessica DubrofTs premature death shows, the price for that kind of behavior can be very high— and very tragic. Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials are die opinions of the Spring 1997 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect die views of the Univer sity of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the University ofNebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serves as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Edito rial Board. The UNL Publications Board, established by die regents, supervises the production ofthe paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the edi torial content of die newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student employees. Letter Policy The Doily Nebraskan welcomes brief let ters to die editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Sub mitted material becomes the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be re turned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affilia tion, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. E-mail: letters@unlinfo.utd.edu. Mehsling’s VIEW o Jessica KENNEDY Face-to-face with America People-watching more than a pastime One of my favorite lazy-day, wasting-time activities is people watching. Not die perverted, illegal hobby of being a peeping tom, but rather the casual observation of behaviors, styles, and personalities. Communal places are rich in observational material. I love “shopping” at the mall, supermar ket, Laundromat and union — places where people’s guards are down or they’re so involved in what they’re doing, they’ve forgotten about the people around diem— settings where people are interacting with each other and their surround ings. It’s kind of neat when you think about it... these places offer you an opportunity to lode into the eyes of America. You can challenge yourself to face those things that might make you uncomfortable, to see what you normally don’t (want to) see. It’s all there—every type of person you can think of. Look at Laundry Land’s parking lot next time you drive by. You’ll see junkers and mini-vans and BMWs —all side-by-side. Inside, the mix gets even more interesting. All these people sharing the same space. It’s interesting watching people’s behavior when they’re somewhere they can’t leave. For example, in a Laundromat you have people dealing with their dirty laundry in public, being bored, playing games, etc. ... For me, the premier people watching sport is the bus. People have to stay seated next to strangers, and they really can’t look around much. It’s easy to discreetiy observe every nuance of a person. Each tells you a little something about the person and how he or she lives. Without feeling too obtrusive, the astute observer can see what passengers are wearing, what they’re carrying, how they hold themselves, how they keep to themselves and how they interact with the people and the bus environ ment. If you don’t normally ride the bus, take one this week during a rush hour. The people you see are so interesting. Businesspeople, students and the elderly all ride the bus. But the passengers I am truly fascinated by are the elderly and the poor. Each has so much to share without ever knowing it. So often forgotten by our busy, rush-rush society, these people deserve more than a passing glance. I suspect that the mass transit’s poor and elderly have interesting and moving tales to tell. I remember one woman in particular who I rode with one morning. She was probably about 65 or so and heavy-set with medium length straggly, white hair and a colorful array of polyester coats and cotton flower-print shirts. On her feet were tan, worn, creased SAS shoes. She carried with her several plastic grocery bags and a couple of large cotton bags. It was apparent that die was a regular, as she chatted about her neighbors and children with the bus driver. Wide, watery blue eyes darted around the bus as she spoke, conveying both cheerfulness and tiredness. Her chubby, wrinkled face was rosy with excitement. As the bus bounced over pot holes, her feet swung freely, the tips of her toes brushing the floor. More recently, however, it has been the younger generation that has perplexed me and dominated my people-watching time. I am at a loss over some of the behaviors and styles that are mainstreams these days. Bell-bottoms were ugly the first time, neon colors (I thought) ran their course in the ’80s and strappy shoes were uncomfortable when our mothers wore them, so why in the world would we bring these obnox ious fashions back? Yet, here they are, sported by lanky, Twiggy-esque teenagers. I watch, in complete and utter disbelief of the few short years that separate these fashion oddities and me. And all the suburban kids saggin’ and packing beepers. What’s up with that? I’ll probably never know, but that’s OK, it’s fun to watch them. In the end, there are no rules, and no one is safe from scrutiny. All that you need is a commitment to candidly survey society. Head to the mall, head for the bus stop and watch America in her element. Pause a moment from rushing through your life and observe those lives around you. So goes the sport of people watching: seeing the unbelievable, observing the unthinkable, watching the unwatchable. Kennedy is a senior advertising and broadcasting major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist .. ____**n"'*‘.. ..Xa IZiJL ^ . iebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 "R" St, Lincoln, .. T .O. w rire Jr tax to (402) 472-1761, pr erroail.<lettera(ghmliBfo.uid:edtt:. -.-C jk 18 mus^ ^ si8D®d and include a phone number for verification ... ■ ■■■■.. hii .. .. V.‘.ii ....■" ii w ib i mi. .. • i—Mii|M|n| n* .
