Page 14 - Phoenix2000-01

COMMENTARY An apology to residence life oft the mark by Mark Parisi Michael Wiles apologizes to When I developed a problematic situa- r---------------.:..."""or---- ..... Residence Life after last year's tionwithmyhousingabouttwoweeksbook, ......,0'. A ._ 1.1 .....- -r" U.'("\ ....t')l!...,.,,-:A. \("\ problems in Rouzer. I was cynical about approaching the people ,..~ rl "'II1MI ~ rt V,C.~ "';:;)IJ N V I have a hard time admitting when I am ;ai~~~~~~~ ~~ep~;~d~~, ~a~~::~t !t;~ -rH£" NOIS£' WAC;)HDRRII=IC." wrong. My girlfriend has told me that I am would have little interest, or limited means, rarely apologetic, and I would have to agree to help me. with her, as I am sure many others would as However, upon approaching them with well. my problem, they not only helped me be- For the most part, I feel this is because I yond my expectations, but have quickly be- lead a very careful existence: both with my come some of my favorite people. on this words and in my actions. campus. Despite this fact, I make the same mis- Not only did they treat me with an abun- takes that everyone makes from time to time, dance of respect, but they worked with me and I would like to publicly apologize for as an equal to solve my problem quickJy. The one of {hem now. Residence Life department, Scott Kane and It comes as no surprise to many readers Beth Rosko in particular, have earned the that I am not a fan of the living conditions in respect from me this week they should have Rouzer Hall, and that I whined and com- gained a long time ago. plained through most of my stay there last It might be hard to admit when you are year wrong, but it is a crime to let a wrong go In almost every issue of the paper, I found unresolved. At best, this-whole experience someone or something to blame: mostly it can be taken as a lesson learned: both for was the students who wrecked the place (and me and, hopefully, all of you as well. who rightfully deserved the blame), but One should never judge or blame where sometimes my spray of complaints fanned a they have no right, and that is a lesson Ithink bit too wide, and the wrong people were hit. we can all benefit from. More times than I care to admit, I blamed Although I no longer blame Residence those in the Residence Life department for Life for the conditions of Rouzer Hall, I must the chaos around me. say Istill think SOMEONE should do some- In hindsight, I regret having blamed them thing about it. Ihear it is getting pretty rank for a situation they could all but control. in there. Survivor: the show that Big Brother: Is it a waste of captivated millions television viewing time? Edward K. Schultheis e;'piains, but in "Survivor". the castaways had to Sara Hoover expresses her on that in the book: video cameras record- why Survivor became suc~lIa',of;? wdHP,-sleep:'fish, cook, catch rats, and cre- disappointment with CBS's Big ing a community's every move ... even.fhe . ate strategies together. Something that can bathroom. enthralling TV show. Brother. be sympathized with by most college stu- BB pushes the button by building acom- Why did this show captivate the minds dents. Although if college students are Okay, call me crazy, but "Big Brother" mune in which [he members of the house of everyone who watched it? Why were chasing rats, they are normally not for con- just didn't "do it" for me! cannot leave, nor are there any of the "mod- we so intrigued week after week? Why did sumption, but rather.to get them out of their Sure, r watched practically every episode em conveniences," i.e.: 'fV, Computer (or we even care if Richard got naked or if dorm rooms. of "Survivor," and yes, I am a total freak Internet), telephone or even books! Gervase did turn out to be the big money While watching "Survivor", I was when it comes to "The Real World" but there But what's the problem? winner? Why did we keep coming back amazed at the simplicity of the show and is just something about B B that rubs me the If MTV can do it, and CBS hits big with every week to watch another "Survivor" how it still kept me wanting more, even wrong way. a "Gilligan Island" spoof, why not twice? episode? after watching it for more than 10 weeks. I Mainstreaming ... maybe that's what it is. The answer is clear to me. We asked ourselves these same ques- was especially amazed how, unlike "Big "The Real World" took off because it was Did you watch the show - ever? If so, tions every week, and every Wednesday Brother" or the "Real World", the show new. "Seven complete strangers, picked to then it is clear to you as well. night we found ourselves sitting in front didn't need a highly elaborate set or a man- live in a house ..." admit it - it was appeal- Too much technology, too trendy, and try- of the tube watching Sue and Richard con- sion to be a good setting for the show. In ing. ing too hard to be cool! spiring against the likes of Colleen and fact, I liked how it was on a beach and how But the best part of RW was that it was Could we try and fake out the audience a Sean. It was the show that brought us back the show pitted the survivors not only the creation of MTV. little more with all the fun cameras we can to watching television and it was certainly against one another but also mother nature. MTV was never a station that held back, hide? the talk of people standing around their There were many times when the two tribes or followed the rules, most importantly, Can we make the show seem a little more water coolers at work. Why did it capti- found themselves in the middle of mon- never what mainstream socie~y wanted to like it's the most important thing in the vate us so much? soon conditions when shelter was at a pre- world? Was it the money and potential fame mium. Famous for making a mockery of the How many IKEA show rooms were that we were all interested in? Was it the The 39 days that the castaways spent "Academy Awards" with the birth of the struck bare after CBS furnished that house- competitions that they all went through? on the island were filled with hunger, sick- "MTV Movie Awards," they reminded us I ask you!?! Did we like seeing who was going to be ness, and politics. It was a dog eat dog that it was okay to laugh at the world, they Could we please try and add more fun kicked off every week? Or was it simply world, where the sneakiest survived and gave us situations we understood, jokes we colors that the young audience will want to the cool one million dollars that we were the meek were sacrificed off first. Maybe liked, and (duh) the music we rocked to. see more of? waiting to see dished out to the lucky sur- this is why Richard Hatch won after back- When CBS formed "Survivor" it too And please, oh please, add more lame in- vivor? I think it was a combination of all stabbing and snaking his way to the finish shared the basic premise of strangers brought terviews with "banished" cast members, of that; not to mention that in some way line. I knew that to survive, you had to be together and to live together, but the sur- more cheesy theme music and more dramatic we all envisioned ourselves as part of the the best at everything and certainly Rich- roundings were very different. moments of silence!"! cast or." Survivor." ard was the best at fishing, competing and "Survivor" placed those total strangers on Note to the reader - if you can't spot the This is why "Survivor" was more like conniving. an island where they had 10 "outwit. .. sarcasm in the above three paragraphs please a voyeur show than a reality show. You I even found myself wondering if I outplay ... and outlast" one another and in the stop here and start again! got to get inside the castaways heads. You could have competed with some of the end, one was chosen as the winner. Maybe it's just me. were able to see them triumph and in many people. I know that I am not the easiest And the show was a hit! Maybe the rest of the world likes intrud- cases fail miserably. We got to see Rudy person 10 get along with, so I probably No one, not even MTV with their "Road ing on other people's lives (and who's to say call Richard a "fag" and we got to see Kelly would have been kicked off the island Rules" dared contestants to hunt for their that I don't?) but is it an intrusion if a major win immunity challenge after immunity somewhere around ...week 3. Even my girl- food (literally), compete against each other, corporate business, like CBS, buys an awe- challenge 10 keep herself from being voted friend would probably agree on that. and of course - let's not forget the one-mil- some house, furnishes it, AND chooses the off. This is what made this show different Even if I couldn't have survived the 39 lion-dollar prize! houseguests? from "Real World" and "Big Brother." gut-wrenching days on the island, it was Then, CBS spoke too soon. "Big How real can it really be? In the "Real World" the seven strang- exciting to see 16 people try to outplay Brother," named for George Orwell's clas- And besides, did we riot learn anything ers have to work together and live together, their way to $1 million. sic novel 1984, depicts a world roughly based from watching "The Truman Show"?