University of South Carolina Libraries
Viewpoint Wednesday, September 11, 1985 M 5 ?????-?iTHE GAMECOCK Reagan s s President Reagan has backed pressure, or a change of heart, longtime opposition to sanctions ag i Africa. However, the message sent to Pi hp intf?rnrptf?rl ac a cion r?f cnnnnr# ???v. j/. vw>? M .Jifjii vi auppv/i I condemnation. Reagan saved Botl from financial terror. Reagan's steps against South designed only to prevent an ei foreign policy defeat in Congress a? move toward strong measure apartheid. Reagan's executive order may be right direction, but it's a very smal I jj, :gm Playing? Survival Game taints morals > of participants The Survival Game is a wargame in which guns that fire paint pellets are issued to the participants. These people run around woods and across open fields trying to "kill" each other off. Participation in games I like this ? there are lots of them, and thev are verv ! J popular ? is wrong. r I am not saying that participating in a "game" like this is just a bad idea in I some vague way. The " "game" itself is corrupt, ( and participation is morally wrong. I I do not argue against the "game" from a personal I position of pacifism. There " are things well worth fighting for, even killing and dying for. Yet this "game" is morally wrong because the "game" morally corrupts participants. The "game" trivializes killing. This is not to maintain that every instance of fc killing is wrong. Over the centuries, our culture has developed sophisticated and useful ways of thinking about when force and killing are or are not justified. Some of these ways are associated with what is called the "just war tradition." The American Catholic bishops recently used this long-standing tradition in I m their analysis of nuclear war and deterrence. The Survival Game | undermines thoughtful reasoning along these lines. Participants play at killing without thinking about the very special circumstances under which killing might be justified. The "game" encourages people to play at killing for a horrendous reason ? because playing at tillino ic fun V """"O Our legal and historical traditions compel us to consider killing far more seriously. A second reason why I am opposed to participation in this "game" is that it supports a point of view and a social movement that promotes the illicit use of violence. S If you have read anything about the groups that ? organize and play these Staff columnist Andy Dunca with a letter to the editor, and If you have an opinion youV with the Carolina community, j The Gamecock. Letters must be typed, doub ? include the writer's name an number where the writer may I verification. anctions down to We are ap from his think of impi ainst South without giving racist minorit; retoria may the pocketbo( . 1 . I Y T _ . ? 1 ramer man nere s now la's regime ing the black without spaw way for comr Africa are First, we pi mbarrassing emergency or 5 lawmakers South Africa es against panding their Second, w< a steo in the eoods orodu 1 one. diamonds an< ^1 Sunt such at this one shoot paint \ "games" that simulate killinn nnrlor K<ittlaf?AM /i/\n<4i tug Uliuvl UOlilVilVlU WUilUl" tions, you might have read about their affinity with what is called the survivalist movement. Survivalists are not people who like to go off into the woods to see^how long they can live off roots and The Survival Game is one of many participation games, such as Assassin, Diplomacy, and Dungeons and Dragons, that have gained in popularity in recent years. berries. They are peoph who believe our society i; about to be destroyed bj violence prompted bj txuuuinii, racial, icugiuu> political or military conflict Their problem is not s< much with their speculatioi about ihe near future, bu with their proposals abou how to respond. When the end comes they say, it's every man fo himself. The way to surviv is to have adequate fooi and supplies and sufficien weapons and ammunitioi to be able to fight of everyone else who migh want them. Games like The Survivi Game are not only goo fun, for people who thin i in got his start Letters s so can you. writer is a 5 d like to share of the comi send a letter to All letter editing. A , Letters can le-spaced, and Send yc d a telephone Gamecock, be reached for umbia, S.C Let us ki against So palled that Reagan would even osing sanctions on South Africa r, them some teeth to hit the white y right where it hurts the most ? >k. we propose to do it without caus; majority financial distress and ning chaos that would pave the nunism in South Africa. ropose that the president issue an der to American corporations in that they have 30 days to stop exoperations there. ; propose heavy import taxes on ced in South Africa, such as i gold. i^pWj^S^, ^gi rallots in The Survival Gome. along these lines, but they are also invaluable training. Bv olavina this "came." one is affirming that simulated warfare, with all its survivalist connotations, is a perfectly acceptable way to have fun. By playing, one supports this point of vi. . financially. A third reason, that the "game" morally corrupts f participants, probably sounds outlandish to most * people. The good or bad ef' feet of an activity on a person's moral character, or t the effect of a social institu| tion on a community's character, is an imnortant consideration. ' This way of thinking r about morality that supl( ports this affirmation has ( long been out of favor or I forgotten in our culture. " Yet if you were to read what Aristotle or Thomas II Aquinas have to say aboul il othi^c imii tunnlH cpp that 41 VIIIIVO) JVM "UUIM OVV UIMl d this point of view is central k to their moral teaching. hmilH alert inr>ln/io lukntlmr thn "VMIM MlvJV IIIV1UVIV " UVlltVI I I IV itudent, staff member or member munity. s are printed and are subject to 350-word maximum is suggested, not be returned. mr opinion to: Editor, The Drawer A, Russell House, Col29225. low what you think. uth Africa r Third, the president should se memo to Prime Minister Botha inf< of the United States' intention to st trade as possible with South Africa positive steps are taken to ensure th< of all South Africans. Fourth, the United States shou credits to American corporations tl and employ South African blacks j?,j i-? i a i: uccucu IUI juus nuw uuiic CACIUMVC They then will be prepared to Africa's economy healthy while black majority into the mainstream force. Finally, strong civil rights legislal l HHUr ^isgsiilS ! i RAY GRONBERG/Tto Gamecock According to this tradition, how you act determines who you are. If you - do good acts, you become a virtuous person. If you do bad acts you become a 'icious person. Every act a person does is morally significant, not only in itself but also because every action cultivates a good or bad moral character in the person doing the act. I The key question to ask, according to this way of , thinking about morality, is whether pretending to kill i people for fun tends to pro- i ' Hnrp onnrl r?r hnrl npnnlp If this activity tends to corrupt a person's j character, then one has good reason to condemn the activity. In order to approve the activity, one would have to argue that it improves a participant's character. This J strikes me as a difficult argument to make. There are lots of ways to have adventurous and outdoor fun without pretending to kill people. There are many groups and clubs at 11 fir* that ran ai^ist von: wind surfing and board sail- j ing, water skiing, hiking and rock climbing, white- 1 water canoeing, sport i parachuting and hang gliding, bicycle touring and scuba diving. I am persuaded that The Survival Game and other games like it (Hot Pursuit, Assassin, etc.) arc not I harmless fun. These . games are corrupt, anu playing them is morally wrong. 1 Richard Paddon j Presbyterian Center 1 ?~""r esemble s nd a terse be drafted in orming him which should op as much voting restrict until some quirements. B; 2 civil rights parallel to the Without the African civil w Id offer tax ed that war is lot tft/i 11 train th#? WpcI wunt 1(41 111 11(4111 '? vol "Mill in the skills ly by whites. War in Sout keep South of deaths to ii putting the the way for tli of the work eventually tak( And that, fri [ion needs to United Slates. Ever had for a stai (indy Duncan I know it's aggravating to wi should have to wait for a stairca* That's just what 1 did Mon< Building. After an hour or so of :iass, a coupie of us surgeons < slevator crush by walking down I idea God puts in our heads to m I am not very familiar with th< shadowy realm neither heaven n something quite like it Monday o way down, the crowd jammed. N descend either. "You know what this remind; "This stairwell is the esophagu Russell House cafeteria." Great waves of heat came spira ed masses. 1 wondered idly whet creat furnace at the foot of the < Another voice from above yell A reply wafted up from the de A voice very near to my shoulc :ut the cables!" The people behind me startec before me started backing up. M> done to alleviate panic, so he yelk ?ea chantevs?" "Sure!" I cried. "Everybody [he top of my yet-unerushcd lung af "Send Me Yardarm 'Round from below drowned me out. "What's happening down ther "They're murdering the freshr I had another mental image, plundering the university's ruins shaft containing a ramp filled witl together in standing position. Tlx the Metro front in The State. Something small and furry da fourth floor. 1 am usually calm crises, so 1 took the time to anal; and soil my pants in fear before was that?" While 1 looked frantically abc floor above started up a chant of the floor below yelling, "Tastes "What are you looking for?" "Critters," I said. "Fauna. A aroused the native animal life, \ burrows, their eyes glittering, th "Nah," my friend said, shak hang out in the building next though. Maybe you could use it A shaggy head reared up fro everybody. If we all walk in uni: repeat after me: Left, right, lefi Cries of "Pinko!" and "Cc above. "What's wrong with, Ri Disregarding ideology, the "I suddenly the jam broke, and wc and into the sunlight once again at our eyes. Now I admit exaggerating sc staircase, but the basic incident Just remember that the next For my next English class, 1 lightweight, waterproof pup ter Editor in chitf Ann Farmer Managing Editor Tracy Mixson Copy Desk Chief Andy Duncan Assistant Copy Desk Chief l.inda fay lor News Editor Marisa Porto Assistant News Editors Jeri Howe Juliet Nader Spotlight Editor Hont lieu Kayne upport the South African parliament, be restructured to eliminate ions and unfair election reisieally, this would be a rough U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965. sc reforms, we feel that South ar is inevitable. We are convincsomething neither Pretoria nor u a r-:? u 1 ii /Aiuca wuuiu cause inousanus inocent citizens and would pave ie Soviet Union to infiltrate and ; over the country. iends, would spell disaster for the to wait rrasp? I w jit for an elevator, but no human day in the Humanities Classroom dissecting Robert Frost in English iecided to be clever and avoid the four flights of stairs. It's the sort of ock mortal minds. j religious notion of purgatory, that or hell, but I think we experienced n that staircase. About a third of the o one could go up, &nd no one could 5 me of?" said a voice from above, s, and we are the meatloaf in the iling up the shaft, roasting the huddlher we all were meant to stoke some stairs. ed, "What's wrong down there?" pths. "The stairs are broken." ler shrieked, "Somebody must have 1 surging forward, and the people ' friend decided something had to be :d, "Does anyone here know any ok} sing until the rescuers hear us." At , I launched into a stirring rendition the Horn," but the howls of panic e?" ncn!" Millennia from now, archaeologists i come upon an odd find: a broad h hundreds of skeletons, all clustered : discovery merits me Dottom nan 01 shed past my legs on the way to the and cool to the point of frigidity in yzc the situation, ponder my options : bellowing, "What the deviled ham >ut my feet, the playful types on the "Less filling!" that was answered by ereat!" my friend asked. dl these fools shouting at once have vhich are even now massing in their eir bodies tensing to strike." ing his head. "The English teachers door. It's a good, macabre image, in a column." m the pack below and said, "Listen, son, we can make it out of here. Now t, right, left . . ." jmmie!" began floating down from ight, left, right, left, right . . ." .ess filling!" people started back, but : all tumbled pell-mell down the stairs Wo rripH alnuH in nain anrt r>1ntph#?H ~ M,,V* VIMIV..V>? >me aspects of my experience on the is true. time you decide to skip the elevators, 'm taking a Coleman stove and a it with me. Just in case.. Sporlt Editor Gregg Lasky Assiitant Spcrti Editor I,, ff ?/cfj v/rvrnj Photography Editor \ Joseph Garnell Auiitant Photography Editor Ray Gronberg Advisor Hill Rogers Olroctor Bill Clements Production ] Lewis Covington Mark Armstrong aMwaMBaaMMBaaHMaaaaHaHaaaHHHHMBHBBBi