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Giving government qualities similar to sport L i/i/U' Id improve public’s interest
J.J. HARDER is a senior
political science and broad
casting major and a Daily
Nebraskan columnist.
The smell of Papa John’s floats
through the air. Everyone’s gathered
around the TV, waiting with eager
anticipation.
It% Monday night, and ABC has
started broadcasting its newest sport
to keep its precious football viewers.
The fast-paced musical score accom
panies the wild graphics explosion on
screen. And I can hear the words bel
low from the rugged Hank Williams
Jr. in the familiar tune:
Are you ready for impeachment?
A1 and Dan are there to comment
on the proceedings, live from the
Capitol. Sidebar analysts contribute
from the Senate floor, former politi
cians detail pre-trial outlines of strate
gy; who knows, Vegas may even put
out a line between the Republicans
and Democrats!
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any dancing cheerleaders between
sessions, and if the President does get
removed from office, there really
aren’t any goalposts for the
Republicans to tear down.
But if the Senate decides to pro
ceed with a full trial, politics may
become more of a sport than it already
is. Not a sport that is reserved for the
rich and elite, but a sport for the com
mon American. Everyone may not be
a politician, but we can follow poli
tics. This trial may be just the thing
the United States needs to see how
similar politics and sport actually are.
Politics has sides. Our storied
parties are rich in history and rivalry.
They have battled for decades through
long struggles. It’s like the Chiefs and
Raiders in pro football - when these
heads clash, something big is going to
happen.
The parties are staunchly separat
ed in ideology; time alter time
throughout this certtury the wide dis
parity has been shown. The debate
over impeachment has only strength
ened the divisiveness between the par
ties. The whole issue is almost strictly
divided on the basis of party line, so
it’s easy to tell who is against
whom. Americans can easily identify
with the economically conservative,
family-values preaching, bolster-the
military Republicans, or the big-gov
ernment, environmentally protective,
socially liberal Democrats. Throw in a
dark horse like the Libertarians or
Reform Party, and we’ve got a com
petitive league.
Politics has characters. No one
would like the NBA if
the fans didn’t know
the players. Fans want
to get to know who the
competitors are and what
they’re like. People want
to know what makes
these celebs
tick, how
they view life,
what their hobbies are
and why they do what
they do.
Our politicians
definitely would
n’t get elected if
their constituen
cies couian t
find out what
the candidates
were really like.
But most
Americans
barely know
anything
about
their own
congress
men, bet
ter yet
the inter
esting
players
through
out the
country.
People
like Deion
Sanders’ cockiness and flashy style;
why not get interested in J.C. Watts
and his vocality and spunk?
Everyone wants some kind of
hero - someone they want to be like,
someone with whom they have some
thing in common. From Henry Hyde
all the way to President Clinton, our
officials have personalities and char
acteristics with which Americans can
associate. 5
Politics has surprises. What’s the
most exciting part of sports? The stuff
we can’t predict. Onside kick recover
ies, pitchers hitting homers, half-court
buzzer-beaters, interceptions, steals
and especially underdog wins. Right
now is the most surprising time in
politics since Watergate at least. Who
would have imagined seven years ago
that we would end up impeaching a
president for only the second time in
, our nation’s history? Or that the
speaker of the House would resign
/
be replaced by another who
would resign before taking the post?
A state of more than 5 million
supposedly sane people is looking to a
wrestler tor leadership! it politics isn t
surprising, I don’t know what is.
Politics has winners and losers.
Society likes closure, outcome, some
type of result. In the grand game of
politics, some come out ahead, some
don’t. All of the campaigning, the
polls, Sunday morning talk show ban
ter, debate on the floor - it all is
summed up with elections.
The officials who have done well
during their terms can come back,
signed to another contract, so to
speak. Those who had off years full of
mistakes head back to their legal prac
tices and offices. Granted, watching
live result updates of the
’98 election won’t be
exciting as the Super
11“
Bowl, but we
can still sit in
front of the tube and see if our favorite
guy won.
Ana mat s me one thing every
sport strives to obtain: fan interaction.
That’s the one thing politics truly
embodies. Politics has become the
pastime that it is only because we, as
citizens, choOse to vote and elect each
year.
The NBA can cancel half a season
and still get by. But if the United
States as a whole decided not to par
ticipate in elections, just for one
November, the country would not be
able to function. The government
needs us because we are the govern
ment, this is our league, with our
rules.
But we seem to be as interested in
politics as we are in
hockey. People
respect the sport and
know the basics, but
really don’t follow it
closely. But if the
impeachment saga is
good for anything,
it’ll actually
^ spark inter
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I ment. Sure,
impeaching the prez
has made us the laugh
ing stock of the world,
and brokers are praying
this mess doesn’t ruin
the economy, but it has
to have an upside.
America will find
things wrong with gov
ernment and want to
change them. People
will discover an
issue they feel
strongly about, or
hear the ideas of a
senator from
another state
and check out
his back
ground. Take a
poli sci class, watch
C-SPAN, just vote!
S^as Hank says, get all
your rowdy friends to
come over and follow the
trial. It’s not too often a
nation hits a deep political
nerve like ours bas, so we
better take advantage of
the positive side of this ordeal while
we can.
Pride and perceptions
Media’s double standard toward women’s appearances unjust
ERIN REITZ is a senior
theater performance major
and a Daily Nebraskan
columnist.
Jennifer Lopez has a “colossal
behind.” Christina Ricci is “defiantly"
pudgy.” Alicia Silverstone has “chub
by arms.”
These are the words of the all
knowing women’s fashion publication
W. They come from an article whose
cover teaser was lovingly, tactfully
penned, “Living Large: Fat is Back.”
The article talked about how this
winter “it’s hip to be hippy.” As
opposed, of course, to the spring sea
son, in which it will be trendy to be
devastatingly thin again. Thank God
tilings will be back to normal soon.
The magazines just aren’t the same
without Kate and Shalom on every
other page.
What’s that? You’ve become tired
of seeing models who look like starv
ing, anemic children? You’re ready to
see women who look like women, not
prepubescent 11-year-olds? Hmm.
I’m not sure I understand you. I guess
I’m just fine with the “bony look” that
Calista Flockhart captures so well.
Somebody slap me, please. I think
I’ve completely lost my grip on reali
ty. What would possess me to think
this way? Could it be what’s on TY or
the magazines I’ve been reading for
the last 10 years? Nah. They tell noth
ing but the truth. Or at least that’s
what the general public seems to
thrnk
I have a feeling that most women,
including myself, have lost their grip
on reality when it comes to the female
form. OK, so that’s kind of a “duh”
statement. Most of us know by now
that models and actresses are thinner
than 97 percent of the female popula
tion. I’m just wondering if this both
ers anyone anymore.
Apparently, the media are trying
to prove to the masses that it bothers
them, but I’m not sure it’s working.
“Baywatch” is said to be consider
ing a fuller-figured female lifeguard
to offset the show’s traditional lineup
of silicone-laden starlets. Camryn
Manheim of “The Practice” won an
Emmy and dedicated it “to all the fat
girls.” The magazine for fuller-figured
glamour, Mode, is making its way
into more and more women’s homes
each month.
But are these happenings making
as much of an impact as people are
saying? I’ll go back to the “Living
Large” piece to see if it has the
answer.
Seemingly well-meaning, it
acknowledges that more women can
identify with Kirstie Alley and Queen
Latifah than Barbie, er, Pamela
Anderson Lee. It recognizes the fact
that women like these deserve their
rightful spot on the stage and screen
and are getting more positive expo
sure than ever.
Now let’s look at the rest of the
magazine. Maybe this is an unfound
ed gut reaction, but it certainly
appears to me that these writers are
full of crap.
Leaf through the issue, and you’ll
find nothing but the thinnest of the
thin. There are no size ! 2’s sprawled
out on lounge chairs in swimsuits or
gliding across the floor in voluminous
ball gowns. There are no females with
curves anywhere but these two pages.
Funny, huh? I thought so .
I’m wondering this: Why in the
world would a women’s magazine
make such an effort to say that women
don’t need to be skinny to be success
ful, but then proceed to make
absolutely no effort to demonstrate it
themselves? If you haven’t noticed,
it’s a double standard that’s been
going on for a few years, and it’s
shooting itself in the foot.
Magazines like Mode are being
celebrated by women everywhere
because they’re making valid attempts
to show that women are beautiful, no
matter what size dress they wear. But
more popular magazines such as
Vogue and Elle have no qualms about
showing unrealistic images, in terms
of female body size, on their pages,
and they are regarded as the bibles of
the fashionable set.
So, who’s right?
I hope it’s whoever sends Jhe
healthiest message. But the healthiest
message isn’t always the one that peo
ple are bombarded with. It’s easier to
remember something you’ve seen
1,000 times than something you’ve
glanced at once. I’ll bet people
remember Kate Moss’.Calvin Klein
ads a lot more readily than they*
remember Manheim’s acceptance
speech.
It stinks, but it’s reality. The ques
tion lies in whether our reality will be
changing any time soon, or if this is
just another passing fad in the indus
tries of magazines, movies and televi
sion.
Interestingly enough, it’s never
been a fad on the male side of things.
Men like Danny DeVito and Marlon
Brando have been working pretty
consistently in entertainment even
though they’re not exactly the buffest
things alive. Tabloids don’t freak out
when Jack Nicholson gains five
pounds.
So why is it such a big deal when
Oprah does?
The women of the world need to
learn to be OK with themselves, and
when they do, things will be right on.
That’s not likely to happen, though,
until the media really make a solid
effort to represent reality. True reality,
not “we think Kate Winslet is plus
sized” reality.
These magazines and TV shows
thrive because we eat up their ideal
izations. But they aren’t law, and we
don’t have to subscribe to what they
preach.
Some words of wisdom: It’s not
normal to be shaped like Tyra Banks,
and you and I don ’tneed to workout
for six hours every day to feel good
about ourselves.
Don’t pass judgment on your fel
low woman because she’s bigger than
you, and don’t drink you’re less of a
person because you’re not a size 4.
Screw the magazines, and embrace
the things that you find beautiful.
Including yourself.