The News Argus February 1997 Page 3
SECOND OPINIONS —-
Negative Images: Can We Help Make Them Positive?
by Vincent Woody
Why is it that whenever I turn on the
radio or television for African-American
entertainment my ears and eyes are
greeted by sex, violence and money? Is
the African-American community limited
to these subjects for entertainment
purposes? Are we nothing more than
ghetto hoods, athletes, drug dealers,
pimps, prostitutes and men and women in
‘heat’?
1 can remember when hip hop songs
were positive and creative. Now they are
“copycats” in search of the almighty
dollar. “Keeping it real” apparently
means, “keeping it real dumb.”
If you listen to music by Lil’ Kim
and Foxy Brown, you’ll never see them
stray from sex or money as subjects in
their music. Is this the way most
African-American women feel? Are they
being misrepresented?
Yes, I understand that there are
many females who only live for sex and
money, but what about those that don’t?
Why don’t record companies promote and
sign more positive female acts like
Bahamadia and push to have their music
played on the radio? Wouldn’t this better
reflect African- American females?
I also understand that there are
African-American males and females who
live the life styles displayed in songs by
Nas, Mobb Deep, AZ, the Notorious BIG,
Jay Z, and even the late Tupac Shakur;
but what about those who don’t? Why
don’t rappers like Jeru the Damaja or
KRS - I’s songs, “You’re Playing
Yourself’ and “My Philosophy” get on
the radio ahead of the Notorious BIG with
a song like “Big Poppa.” There is
nothing wrong with radio playing these
types of songs, it’s just that the African-
American community is diverse and the
music should reflect that diversity.
Why do film companies make
mockeries of the African-American
community in what I like to call “collard
green movies,” like “High School High”
and “Don’t be a Menace to South Central
while Drinking your Juice in the Hood?"
Movies like these set us back 100 years.
Why are most "collard green" movies set
in the “hood”?
However, when positive movies like
Spike Lee’s “Get on the Bus” or Mario
Van Peebles’ “Panther” comes out , we
don’t support them. Maybe it is true.
Maybe all we want to see is “hood and
buffoon” pictures.
We also say we want more positive
represcnuition on television shows. But
a modern day “ Amos -n- Andy” show
like "Marlin” gets higher ratings than
“Roc.” “Roc” presented px)sitive images
that we didn’t support.
It seems to me that if we start
supporting positivity and positive
images, then maybe the entertainment
industry will present more positive
images. The changing of the African-
American image in the film, music and
television industries starts with us.
Sometimes The Truth Hurts
by Douglas Clark Jr.
It is really sad that a federal jury awarded $5.5
million to Food Lion Inc. in punitive damages against
ABC Inc. for using deception in an undercover
investigation.
The legal issue at stake when Food Lion Inc. sued
ABC Inc., was the breaking of invasion of privacy laws.
I think it’s terrible for any investigative reporter to be
charged with the related crimes - trespassing and fraud,
while attempting to serve the public’s best interest.
Should a ABC News producer, Lynne Dale, who
worked on the hidden camera Prime Time Live
investigation concerning sanitation problems at Food
Lion stores, have told the truth on her job application to
Food Lion in December 1992? If so, the application
would have read, “I am a skilled undercover journalist
from a major television network working on a story to
uncover potential health code violations in your
company.” What would the public have gained using
that tactic?
What I find most disturbing in the results of this
case is that the First Amendment was not served in the
jury’s decision. The video footage and information
gathered from the employees by Dale were NEVER
CHALLENGED FOR THEIR TRUTH OR
ACCURACY. How can we hope for the media to serve
as the public’s watchdog when it is slapped with a S5.5
million penalty for telling unquestioned truths?
Clearly, the right to freedom of speech has been
limited in this case to the right to tell the truth only if
Food Lion had knowingly allowed alleged violations to
be reported. I doubt that would have happened.
Art Roone, the president of ABC News, realizes the
jury was punishing the network for U'espassing in Food
Lion Supermarkets and that the company did not
conU'adict the accuracy of the information.
Ida Rosen, the executive producer of Prime Time
Live, says that the show will continue to use hidden
cameras to inform the public and that they will review
their electronic news gathering policies. 1 think that
ABC Inc., which is owned by the Walt Disney
Corporation, is being punished for believing and
practicing high journalistic standards as stated in The
Society of Professional Journalist’ Code of Ethics:
“We believe in public enlightenment as the
forerunner of justice, and in our Constitutional role to
seek the truth as part of the public’s right to know the
truth.”
I support ABC Inc. in its legal battle for a landmark
decision for the future of mass communications law.
Coed
on in the residence hall. You have to
learn respect from your roommate, suite
mates and neighbors..
Over the years, students have voiced
various concerns about coed visitation.
Some of these questions/concerns
include: Why is coed always canceled
during exams? Why does coed start so
late in the semester? Why is there a
policy on same sex visitation? Why can’t
children or younger siblings visit over
night or over a special weekend?
“Coed is canceled during exams
because people have complained that they
can’t study if their roommate has a guest.
Coed also starts right after registration
because we want to establish who is
living in the building and is properly
registered. The same-sex rule basically
applies out of consideration for
roommates and in case people decide to
let their friends live with them. Children
can’t spend the night because of liability
purposes only,” explained Patton.
Still the $64,000 question remains, “
Is WSSU ready for 24 hour visitation?”
“Along with 24 hour visitation comes
greater security issues, greater roommate
conflicts and more disturbed parents,”
said Patton.
Patton gave this scenario: Imagine
you have 24 hour visitation in Wilson
Hall, you have two roommates and one of
their boyfriends is over all the time. What
happens when the other roommate feels
his/her privacy is being violated?
According to procedure, you report it to
your residence director and go through a
mediation process to try and resolve the
problem. Then the problem gets worse
because your roommate is mad that you
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even reported him/her in the first place.
What would you do when you complain
to housing and they can’t do anything to
help because the rules say he/she is
allowed 24 hour visitation privileges?
How would you handle that situation?
Does this scenario leave you
confused? As mature students we assume
we are all mature enough to handle these
situations, especially since we all want a
new coed policy, but maybe we aren’t.
Are we?