Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Serving U. Wendy Hudson Tina Morgan,1 Editor) Chris Dixon, Martha Hotop, Karen Layne Ryan Sims, Stephanie Sonnenfeld, Cece v O P I I Intomatinnal \ rtucuii, uic xiciuco nuuiu nave uuwu in a black Chevy Extended 4x4 with a cherry bomb muffler. Darth Vader would have worn a solid black suit much like the white one Boss Hogg on the Dukes wears. Also, his name would have been something like Sheriff Vader, and instead of being leader of the Empire, he would have headed up Empire County. And the most famous line of the movie would be, "May the Fawce stick to ya like white on rice, boy." And what if "Saturday Night Fever" were to take place in Clarendon County? The only thing flashy about that movie would have been Travolta's Dixieembossed belt buckle. Suppose Indiana Jones had been created as Alabama Jones. And how about "The Godfather" renamed as the "The GodDaddy." Marlon Brando's role would have been played by Sorrell Booke (of Boss Hogg fame), "XBafcrt i Student Media Russell House-USC* ( Wendy Hudson Robbie Meek Editor in Chief Matt Pruitt Tina Morgan apons ?ihui? Viewpoints Editor Allison Martha Hotop Williams Cece von Kolniu Special Project, Karen Layne News Editors Deanna Chns Dixon w , , . . McLendon Stephanie Copy ^ Sonnenfeld Ryan Sims Features Editor Online Editor Ethan Myerson Graphics Editor The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published Tuesday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, with the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not those of the University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Ggmecock. The Department of Student Media is its parentrorganization. IVIWVI^O OilUl Southern w; You know, folks, the I dr Academy Awards got me str to thinkin' (as do many things) about the movies. You know, they just don't put out many great movies anymore. In a year where a movie about talking barbeque can be nominated for the top honors, I've decided the industry needs to go back to making movies about the South. Two of the most honored movies of all time, "Gone With the Wind" and "Forrest Gump" are about Southerners. And certainly, no one could forget "Smokey and the Bandit." But, since the movie industry isn't likely to reshape itself based on the words of a gentleman from Summerton (pop. 975), I guess I'll just have to imagine. Suppose "Star Wars" had been about the South. First of all, the theme wouldn't have been the music written by John Williams. It would have been something like, "A Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams Jr. Instead of flying in the Millenium n_i i.l>? ... l j 1 fl IIIIUIIIUIIUIIUI 1 merits studenl Everyone wants their week to hail their cause. HUl There is Greek Week, Intern Cultural Diversity Week, ^ and Creed Week. Well, what may seem to be a KTTTTT? trend out of control has, i so far, proved to be It s impoi interesting. One can only involvec wait to see how well culture. International Week youi accomplishes its goal of educating the USC community about goings-on in other parts of the world. If you take a look at the brochure the International Programs people sent out (we know youH have to dig it out of your trashcan - something about university-related mail dictates it be "filed" this way), you'll notice they really have done a wonderful job of cultivating the culture far and beyond our dear ol' U.S. of A. There is food from Greece (get some Baklava!), India, Saudia Arabia, Germany, China (more than fried rice, trust us), Kuwait and much Icotk SC Since 1908 i, Editor in Chief Viewpoints Editor lal Board , Robbie Meek, Tyson Pettigrew, Matt Pruitt on Kolnitz, Robert Walton, Allison Williams now | Week program Is' support mm] more. liitfiflH Along with all the a I !11 1_ _ _ _ ational great iooa wm ue a series eej( of programs more than one of us will appreciate - information on study abroad Want to get away rtant to get for a while? These i in other speakers have "been s besides there, done that" and own. should be great sources of information. Carolina Productions has added to the cause by showing special films. With all the designated weeks to celebrate this and celebrate that, lef s not lose sight of what we are all (or at least most of us) here for - an education. The International Week activities offer something for all types of folks. For those who like action, there is table tennis and a performance by The Incredible Acrobats of China. For those wanting to travel, there is helpful information. For those who want to meet other students, there are socials. Get involved. hi rrhl i rrht XIU lll^llllglit ly of life EW aiiu me iiume s mu&i itunuus VART line would have been, "Boy, TTJTRJBI you bettah take that ofiah or rm puttin' it up yo' (obscene word for hindquarters)." Certainly, a film that could easily be transformed into a Southern film is the saga of "The Wizard of Oz." To convert it, make the tornado happen in Georgia, make Toto a blue tick hound, turn the Tin Man into the Tin Gentleman and completely do away with the Cowardly Lion because there ain't nothing cowardly about the South! (That is, unless you make him in the likeness of Bill Clinton.) And for the witch, you could make her in the likeness of Jane Fonda or Hillary Clinton. "Rocky" could easily be about a Southern boxer. Just change the name to "Bubba," make it take place in Charleston instead of Philadelphia and nut the Stars and Bars on his trunks instead of the American Flag. Another thing. If more movies were based on Southern characters, the catchlines would be more colorful. Dirty Harry's famous catch line is, "Go ahead. Make my day." Imagine if Dirty Harry had been Southern. The line would have been instead, "Boy, if you as stupid as that durn brick over theah, you just messin' with son. 'Cause if you do, 111 cut yo' tail so bad yo' great grandmamaU feel it." The majority of these ever popular "yo' mama" scenes would be a lot shorter, because if you ever talk trash about a Southern man's mama, you can expect to have your butt cut within minutes (if not by him alone, by the rest of the male members of his maternal family). A 1 J_l_ 1 i OTI_L_tt 1 1 i_ _ rtna trie sequel to oaDe wouia De called, "Dinner at Maurice's." Hopefully, someone in the movie industry will get a copy of the column and follow up on the suggestions listed here. If they do, the highlight of next year's Oscar won't be seeing who's got the ugliest dress. re: 777-7726 'ertising: 777-4249 777-6482 Chris Carron Columbia, SC 29208 Direc,or Studen'Media Laura Day Tyson Pettlgrew Creative Director Robert Walton Jeff A. Breaux Photo Editors Ait Director Adam Snyder Sue McDonald Jennifer Stanley Jim Speelmon Asst. News Graduate Assistants Jennifer Hansen Marilyn Edwards Dipka Bhambhani Taylor Asst. Features Marketing Director Achim Hunt Erik Collins Asst. Sports Faculty Advisor Keith Boudreaux Jason Jeffers Circulation Editor Cartoonist Letters Policy The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should be 200-250 words and must include full name, professional title or year and major if a student. Letters must be personally delivered by the author to The Gamecock newsroom in Russell House room 321. Jhe Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for atyle. possible libel or space limitations. Names will not tie withheld under anv circumstances. MONDj I have asserted myself and banned it from my presence. All I wish is that I could t walk into a restaurant or other public J place and have the same common courtesy | from strangers. Some strangers at tobacco industries | have recently admitted to many incredulous s acts. For starters, they set out to make an addictive product While this is a smart economic venture for them, they failed to see the health-care costs smokers would entail for our country. Lung cancer, cancer of the esophagus, lip and tongue cancer - you name it, and you can probably link it back to the economic genius of a few tobacco marketers. And if you think this point of the anti-smoking argument is trite, try watching a loved one suffer because had a two-pack-a-day habit. It ain't pretty. Okay, so admitting they were out to get us the start, let's personalize this a little. Imagine I with a smoker - and chances are this won't be I since there are so many of them out there. Wash i.i__ 1 c Tn i cxuuxes in uxe xxuxixe ux a amuaci. i nc) auxin., j their home. Cigarette ashes fly everywhere ant hard to get rid of. Try kissing a smoker. I never 1 but I can only imagine licking the bottom of an ash Sound appealing? Well, tell that to the millions have been suckered by all of the attractive adverb Joe Camel is cute. He's got big biceps and an in grin. Beautiful models wearing bright colors hold a cigarette while in the seemingly carefree woi heavenly bliss. It is an irresponsible argument fc these ads are the cause of the rising numbe smokers. However, it is plausible to say thes< represent how slack our society is when it com one of the most dangerous and accessible toxics me throw out a pretty far-fetched argument. Once upon a time, men realized our civilized \ would eventually surpass the need to fight grea devastating wars. They invented the cigaret eradicate the future Dortion of the DODulation would have otherwise contributed to a popuh explosion. They marketed it. We liked it. Far-fett Maybe not. Smokers are starting earlier - some as ear elementary school. For those who think "to eac own," this isn't a scary fact. Unfortunately, t children represent higher health-care costs, fa to use their full potential because they will pro! suffer from diseases earlier in life and, quite fra more people to pollute our air. Pollution is being attacked from every indu; sector. What is amazing is that there are millic individual smokestacks puffing away, and we failed to regulate them in the name of indivi rights. I believe in individual rights; however, in cases your rights end when they interfere wit] rights of other people. This means I can't play m> really loud in the middle of the night wit headphones. That way, if I lose my hearing, the 1 QUOTE, UNQUOTE "The typical American si Smokers' rights If you want to smoke and die, that's [ fine. Just don't take me with you. As V an asthmatic child of two smokers, * facing the day-to-day barrier between breathable air and toxic air is veiy personal My parents have always been conscious of my health (unfortunately, as smokers, I can't say the same for their health) and kept their cigarette smoke away from me as much as possible. In the past few years. 1V MffjW/N r f? I tudent at USC doesn't realize there NAPA Resident Hall Director Heather Emmen art issup nf l^VJLJL xcyc v/ vy JL xxv/wi ETHAN MYERSOI person affected is myself. This is how I prop they solve what has become as much of a social p as an economic and health concern, from Instead of going so far as to ban cigarettes iving for the sake of my own parents' health, I woi hard to see happen), I propose lawmakers continue t your smoke-free areas. And these restrictions ha1 Dust enforced. If I want to watch a movie in a th 1 are damn sure don't expect to have to leave the lave, because some teen is being cool while aw? itray. mommie. who Expectant mothers should be prosecuted for s sing, just the same as mothers who drink heavily ar ipish fetal-alcohol syndrome. Parents should natura onto the respect for their children's health, even .u j l 4.1 e? 4-i ~ m vi uuii t nave uie same uuiiecin iui men uwu. uu 0 say in schools about the hazards of smoking should rs of and include graphic photos of sick smokers. 1 ads What people do in their own homes is nor ies to business. However, when it affects the futur i. Let country as in the lives of children or rising hea costs, we should all have some say. Keep your c vorld butts off our streets, smoke out of our air. Aj t and future, maybe someday this toxin will be trt ,te to just that - a toxin to be controlled, that ition died? -By Tina Mo ly as h his ^ ilure jably nkly, W V throughout its more than 200 years of e * I "America has operated on a foundi 'trial I discriminatioa Whether it be women o ins of children or the disabled, America] ^avfj always managed to infringe on the rights of r groups. Only the select group of white AngL most protestants has managed to escape the hthe ' STP discnnunation. , And throughout this country's existence group has managed to assimilate and step minnritv cfofna tVio Amprinan mainntu Vias ^5.. th, individual rights shifted its attention to other groups. P&Sk." A Once the Irish became an acceptable ethnic group, discrimination ^IP^11I^1b| . against blacks began to rise. So it is that new groups are defined to provide the American majority a target at which to express its concern. lliS One group currently bearing the l||p|g heaviest burden is smokers. Hi The image of the cigarette industry and its supporters has become increasingly " / offensive to the middle-class viewnf a nice, clean America living in Suburbia and |p?l?|F /1 adorned with straight-A students, twoMP / I story houses and dogs in the backyard. WW / || Smokers have been relegated to y : | the most uncomfortable, least desirable / ii sections in restaurants. In the same way, y J workers who smoke are often denied break 1 rooms where thev can smoke while other, nonsmoking employees are free to enjoy their breaks in comfortable break rooms. Likewise, advertising by cigarette companies is monitored much more closely than other types of advertising. n The Gamecock Spuds McKenzie never had to stand up to the scrutiny Joe Camel has. When the habits of smokers impose >ose we UpQn the rights of others, there may be some need to lem make adjustments, but the current situation goes far . ,., beyond that. rid love Discussion has taken place in the past few years 0 create cons"*er special taxes on cigarettes. ye to be This is so completely unjustified. Only the most teater I Wind-sighted bigot could agree that an extra tax on theater cigarettes is a g00^ thing. ty from But then, as in many cases of discrimination in the United States, most Americans are generally smoking unconcerned about the plight of the few. id cause Why should smokers be forced to bear more of a Hy have tax burden than anyone else? Why not place more 1 if they burden on those who use hair spray or gel? Why not lucation design special taxes on coffee and soda so members increase of society who rely on caffeine can pay the price for their addiction? le of my These proposals are no more ridiculous than the e of our proposal to tax smokers more than other Americans ilth care Likewise, the division of restaurants, hotels and agarette other public places into smoking and nonsmoking 5 for the areas completely defies the logic of the Supreme Court ;ated as in its decisions regarding civil rights in the '60s. The Supreme Court decided separate cannot evei truly be equal, and if this is true for blacks and othei ethnic groups, why isn't it true for smokers? irgCM gy dividing public places into smoking and nonsmoking areas, one group will surely suffer bj receiving inferior services. This country was founded under discrimination I but despite a plethora of bigots and slow, tedious methods of change, many Americans have strugglec against this standard. j. Discrimination against smokers is no mere admirabk a k,?\ than discrimination against any other group. r ' Smokers are a part of this country just like all th< ns ave res^ 0f us and this discrimination must come to ai mnonty en(j o-Saxon woes of t, once a beyond -By Johtl LyOUS i mprplv a. JW \ ) AA A 'A xare international students here." t aitia