Page 79 - Phoenix1999-2000

COMMENTARY Thursday, December 9, 1999 - Page 7 Why the year 2000 may not be the end of the world after all As we rapidly approach the year due to my friend constantly bom- Ed Schultheis questions 2000, many things come to mind. barding me with the fact that the year 2000 frenzy and hopes and 29 percent reported that they really did invent the Internet. Whether it be the upcoming Super millennium doesn't start untiI2(X)1. for a pleasant new year. were staying home to celebrate. What really frightens me about Bowl, Christmas joy, or perhaps Oh well, what's the difference? Unexpectedly, 39 percent of the Y2K is the fact that some people even plans for New Year's Eve, It's just one more year to party as Only time will tell. people polled said that they didn't are going to be so drunk that they'll think the world has ended and just have any plans for the "Big Night" there is a dark presence looming on if it's a new millennium. Scientists have known about the yet. do their looting anyway. the horizon: The Y2K bug. But what will happen when The big question is whether it most of us return from OUT parties Y2K problem since the 70's when Nothing like waiting to the last Alii know is that there has been exists or not. Some people say that early New Year's Day? computer programmers identified minute, at least for me. so much hype and hubbub about the there will be chaos and mass 1001- Will it resemble the new Nike the problem but figured it could be When people are asked about Y2K bug that I don't even think ing. .commercial with the man jogging fixed by the year 2000. know that it the Y2K bug, however, most people that it's real anymore. be wrong. the don't even see it as a real concern. Little did they But hey, J could Maybe it will just be a flop. The the day after Y2K hits? truth is that no one will know until It has a guy jogging along hasn't been completely fixed. We people Of course, there are a few world could be destroyed, and J hear all the time on the TV, "Y2K be damned who spend out there to hell for my could their the fateful moment when the clock through traffic jams and destroyed compliant" and "Y2K ready." time building bomb shelters and Y2K arrogance. We will have to strikes midnight on January 1, cities resembling the scene from In- However, are any of us really ready making sure that they rid their wait and see what happens on Janu- 2000. dependenceDay. for the year 2000? souls' of sins before their "impend- ary I. As you might have noticed, I Or will it just be another day have not used the word millennium where we scoff at the "blasphemy" According to a poll on America ing" doom. At least [ can go down know- of people arc probably the same yet in this article, and that's mainly of Y2K? Online. only 25 percent celebration, people These who believe that Al Gore ing who Playboy's Playmate of the Millennium Rise of school violence License plates are ree speech was ... whoo-hoo. out for'the are going not just TV's fault moreSun article to a recent Balli- Kristen G. Fraser claims promote personal causes, what- According that personal plates fall ever they may be. printed last Edward Schultheis tackles saying, "I'm going to finish the job week, there was an interesting under First Amendment. And, this falls under the First the difficult topic of school that Columbine started." and controversial development in Amendment. The government violence. Now say that the teenager Florida. on the ever-touchy their design. officials have dorsing these plates. was not en- It touches But, government watching the news broadcast is ne- discussion of the rights of the pro- decided to go forward with the pro- Any group, including a pro- A few weeks ago during my glected at home, and is an outcast apply life and the pro-choice move- for such an Mass Communication class, we of their society. They see all the ment, and, this time, it occurred ductton anyway. for the plate de- choice, could to design and display The proponents opportunity were having a discussion about the publicity for the shooter, and de- effect of violence in media. cide thai it is their time to be no- in relation to license plates. sign state that the plates advocate an plates in the state of Florida. and not necessarily This is exactly what the pro- Yes, license plates have now adoption Because of this discussion I ticed. have been looking at different So they find their parent's gun, become a hot topic. anti-abortion stance life group did. shows and found that the violence not a big problem for many people, Here is the basic summary. NOW, however, feels that the Hopefully, something like this found in television shows has dra- and they go to school. It is there Apparently, Florida is some- plates are inappropriate for the state would not OCcur in Maryland. matically increased over the part that they act out their bottled up what similar to Maryland in that of Florida because of the recent This state has almost become few years. hostility and fear. Then it is later Some might say that the vio- described as a "dream" in many The true point of the license plates it to raise money for an lence on TV has no effect on people cases, but in fact is very real. adoption fund. whatsoever, but I feel completely According to American Medi- different about it. The countless cal ASSOciation, violence among it has 46 specialty license plates violence committed against abor- hours that children sit in front of teenagers has increased 150% over available for purchase by citizens tion providers. famous for the numerous, if not their TV's and watch all the numer- the past decade, and there is no way who desire to have a license plate occasionally obscure, license This seems to be another attack, ous violent scenes can't exactly be that people can't attribute some of slightly modified from the tradi- albeit minor, on the pro-life move. plates. While everyone does not all good for them. it to the violence that is constantly tional state form. ment. have an interest in ham radios, for I would defend the right instance, Sure we have had cartoons that displayed on television. The most recent addition in- This is a disturbing trend, as have shown us violent scene after On the other end, schools-are fi- cluded the slogan "Choose Life" they are being blamed unreason- of ham radio enthusiasts to dis- on a license interest play their violent scene, but as we age during nally starting to participate actively and a yellow sketch of two chil- ably for something not even re- plate. our childhood, we can distinguish in trying to end school violence. dren in a drawing that is meant to motely associated with their cause. It is the First Amendment from the cartoon world and the real However, they have gone over- look like it was drawn by chil- The true point of the license plates rights that are being discussed world. board already arresting a middle- dren. is to raise money for an adoption here. However, because of the simi- school student who wrote a scary However, the National Orga- fund. is an of expression Freedom larity between the television real- story for Halloween that involved nization for Women, or NOW, That is not even the core issue important issue, and there are so ity and real life is harder to distin- him killing his teacher. He got an protested the production of these at hand. many examples of blatant viola- guish. A on the paper, read it in class, then license plates. The specialty plate serves to ex- lions of these freedoms, our so- Although, J am not saying that was put in prison for a few days. The production of these plates press personal causes, organiza- time the television alone is the culprit, Really schools can't help curb was delayed when NOW felt they tions, and other groups. ciety should not be wasting as this on something as clear-cut but it is a factor in some of the hei- violence in school as long as chil- would be struck down in court for The point of these plates is to situation in Florida. nous crimes of late. dren and teenagers aren't receiving their Spirit of Christmas missing at mall It seems that teenagers are es- any help from home. As long as pecially susceptible to the reality they continue wasting away of television. This can explain why hours in front of the television, Walking in the mall over Jessica Fitzgerald during a recent school shooting, the nothing can really help. Thanksgiving break, I noticed that comments on the those who do not have anyone to boy walked into his school and Change needs to start at home, holiday preparations are in full buy them presents, or fix them a opened fire with a shotgun. and when parents aren't able to talk swing. materialism of Christmas. home-cooked meal, or even bring He likened his experience to a to their children about anything, it All the stores were cheerfully them in out of the cold. movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio makes it a little difficult for both decorated with blinding, flashing wards men?" this is coming from Instead though, people, espe- Of course, called The Basketball Diaries, in the children and parents to under- lights and signs advertising how the person who got up early specifi- cially Americans, get so wrapped which DiCaprio's character does stand what is going on in each much better the sales were at one cally to get the good sales. up in the material part of the sea- the same thing during a dream se- other's lives. store as compared to their compe- I'm as guilty of holiday materi- son, that they forget the part about quence. Lately we have seen a huge in- tition. alism as the next person. However, caring for their neighbor and help- It seems that the constant news crease in the number of deaths at A line of screaming children ing the less fortunate. coverage of violent acts seems to schools. We aren't sure how much wrapped its way from one end of when young mothers are about to I'm sure the mothers I saw were get themselves over a toy, arrested only enhance the violence por- effect TV has on the mind of chil- the mall to the other, all trying to it tells me that consumerism has good people. I'm sure they had pure trayed in real life. dren and teenagers, but we know catch a glimpse of Santa Claus. gotten a bit out of hand. intentions and only wanted to see Teenagers who see other teen- that it has some. Meanwhile, I watched two moth- their children's faces light up when agers on TV after a shooting and Of course, it is definitely not the ers, fully grown women, almost get Stand outside a mall sometime, they opened that package Christ- think about all the publicity that only factor that has contributed to in a fistfighr over the last Rock 'n and see how many richly dressed mas morning. they receive. the degradation of our society. Roll Ernie doll. customers, their arms full of expen- But, maybe those children It is almost Iike they become Unless we can reverse this sive gifts, will walk right past a would benefit more by understand- them struggle, As I watched cult heroes. course that we have locked in, we thought to myself, "This is the sea- J Salvation Army bucket and not drop ing that Christmas is supposed {Q In fact, a girl in Pennsylvania are looking forward to a future that son of good cheer? What happened in their spare change. be a time of love and peace. Per- time, At Christmas more that one fact, was given detention at school for no one wants to see. to peace on earth, good will 10- any other, people shoul~ remember then haps, if we understood more. we would all benefit