Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

* THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, June 12, 2002 _viewpoints THiSSAMEGOCK EDITORIAL BOARD Chris Foy Editor in Chief Will King News Editor Carrie Phillips The Mix Editor J. Keith Allen Sports Editor Jason L. Rapp Viewpoints Editor PETA shouldn’t control the NCAA Fresh from its laughable failed attempt to make USC exchange our Gamecock mascot for something more tame and humane, PETA went picking on the NCAA. But this time, PETA won. No longer will the NCAA use genuine leather basketballs in its championship games; composite leather will have to suffice. Has PETA done the unthinkable and swished a jump shot in the face of its detractors? It would appear so but perhaps at the expense of common sense. The NCAA’s decision unleashed a fusillade of criticism from the nation’s cattle farmers whose livelihood could now be at risk. If PETA convinces the NBA or high schools to follow suit, the farmers have many reasons to worry Therefore, we must side with the farmers. We wonder exactly what PETAs point is, anyway Cows are and will be slaughtered daily for meat. Why not use everything we can from them? Does PETA plan on keeping the excess cows in their backyard? We don’t like animal cruelty, but we don’t like people losing literally their farm, because of fanatic groups seeking attention, either. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK STAFF Angel Sizemore Asst. News Editor, Online Editor Robert Gruen Photo Editor Page Designers Crystal Dukes, Melissa Miklus, Sarah McLaulin Copy Editors Lyndsey Hicks, Laurie Sanders PLACING ADS The Gamecock 1400 Greene St. Columbia. SC 29208 Advertising reps: 777-3888 Classified ads: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 STUDENT MEDIA Erik Collins Faculty Adviser Ellen Parsons Director of Student Media Susan King Creative Director Carolyn Griffin Business Manager Sarah Scarborough Advertising Manager Sherry F. Holmes Classified Manager Creative Services Derek Goode. Earl Jones, Jennie Moore, Melanie Roberts, Beju Shah Advertising Staff Jackie Rice. Stacey Todd CONTACT INFORMATION Offices on third floor of the Russell House. Editor in Chief: gamecockeditor@hotmail.com University Desk: gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Viewpoints: gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com The Mix: gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Sports: gamecocksports@hotmail.com Online: www.dailygamecock.com Newsroom: 777-7726 GAMECOCK POLICIES The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published Monday. Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters and nine times during the summer 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 Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is the newspaper's parent organization. The Gamecock is supported in part by student activities fees. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for one dollar each from the Department of Student Media. CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPl TV. keeps us from true living SHANNAREED GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM The revolution won’t be tele vised. If it is, I plan to miss it. You know what? Screw that! I’ll start my own. I’m turning it off. I’ve made a decision. It’s not un precedented, but not widely prac ticed, either. I don’t know of any body who has gone to these mea sures to maintain a fruitful mind. We know a mind is a terrible thing to waste, but we spend hours killing brain cells in the relentless pursuit of pop culture. I’m turning my television off. No more “Ricki Lake” in the morn ing, afternoon soaps, “Must-See TV,” or “Real World” late at night. We watch MTV and it’s like a one-stop shop for everything you need to fulfill your life. Feeling so cially conscious? Watch “UltraSound.” Need a little fash ion advice? Turn on “House of Style.” Love life in shambles? Check out how screwed up some one else’s is on “Dismissed.” I’m not saying that Satan runs MTV, or that it is totally devoid of real truth and beauty. I’m saying that, because of MTV, we are. How many hours do you think we’ve wasted implanting Hollywood’s ideas into our brains at the ex pense of our own? When was the last time you made a fashion choice without first seeing it in the media? How many shirts have you thrown away be cause Cosmo said they are out? Pop culture has taken the fun from dis covery and creation. People wonder why celebrity sta tus has become so important, but it’s easy to figure out. We put those peo ple on a pedestal because they have stepped out of the box. They take the time we don’t to create something interesting, compelling, or beauti ful. We watch them in awe and won der at the complexity and excite ment in their lives. I’m tired of watching; I plan on living. I’m not necessarily striving for celebrity status, just a break from the mundane. I never want to envy another person’s life, and I pity any person who does. When was your last original thought? We toil away in over priced classes learning about the great thinkers of our time. We learn to regurgitate magnificent ideas in history but fail to recog nize our own. Most of us rarely write a sentence or read a book ui less it’s assigned. We lament the we don’t have time, that we’re to busy working, or whatever the cas might be. Perhaps we’re too bus watching late-night TV to realiz our own beautiful minds. I’m tired of reaching for venei able words of wisdom and findin that all I know is implanted b movies, TV shows, and eight! grade homework assignments. S I’m turning it off. I’m turning it o: so I can write and share my voic< and my own thoughts with th world. I’m turning it off so I ca: read and discover poetry and pros once again. There is more to English liters ture.than Shakespeare, and ther is more to literature than Englisl writers. I will embrace the Africa] and Chinese writers. I will searcl out the Spanish, Argentine Korean, and Native American wril ers. I’ll visit the museum without i being a field trip. I’ll find my inne feminist, shave her legs, and let he: speak to the world. I’ll embrace what is new, wha is original, what is me. So I’m turn ing it off and turning me on. Won’ you join me? Reed is a third-year electronic journslism student.