The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 31, 2002 Page: 3 of 8
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Opinions
The Rambler January 31, 2002 3
Partiotism: the new politically correct craze
Twenty-five years ago, the people of
America committed a terrible injustice.
Caught in a war we
didn't understand,
we struck back at
our government in
anger and frustra-
tion.
Unfortunately,
it was the American
soldiers who were
maimed in the
crossfire.
The casualties
for that mistake are
still being tallied.
The wounded carry
scars inflicted after they reached
American soil.
Fast forward to the war we fight
today. When terrorists attacked The
World Trade Center towers and the
Pentagon, we circled the wagons and
DONNA
HANEY
waved our flags.
Patriotism became the vogue.
Americans had a new bandwagon to
jump on and, boy, did we jump with both
feet!
We began with U.S. flags on our car
antennas. It wasn't uncommon to see
pickups cruising the streets with actual
flagpoles anchored in their beds.
Patriotism became a competition.
Advertisers scrambled to find ways
to be sensitive in their quest for capitaist
gains.
Some of them did an amazing job of
raking in the green while waving the red,
white and blue. They told us if we bought
a new truck, we could do our part to
"keep America rolling."
Patriotism became profitable.
Remember when national sporting
events resumed after Sept. 11? Was there
a dry eye anywhere when cameras panned
the fans and showed a sea of fluttering
flags?
Players were unashamed of the tears
evoked by the singing of The Star
Spangled Banner. Firefighters and police
officers were honored as MVPs.
Patriotism became permission to dis-
play an honest outpouring of emotion.
Somewhere during the last 4 months,
sensitivity gave way to saturation. Want
proof?
Consider the NFL playoffs. I've lost
count of the number of players who gave
a salute to the American soldiers.
Patriotism has become politically
correct with a capital PC.
Don't get me wrong! I pray for the
safe return of every U.S. soldier fighting
the war against terrorism. I am grateful
that we learned the lesson Vietnam taught
us.
I tear up when I hear Proud to be an
American on the radio. But I am numb to
the sentiment that is supposed to be
inspired by some NFL player who dis-
plays all the enthusiasm of a pet rock as
he obviously reads a cue card.
Give me a heartfelt display of emo-
tion anytime.
1 applaud the new feelings of unity
and camaraderie that is sweeping
America. 1 hope when the war ends, our
soldiers are greeted with the pomp and
circumstance they deserve.
But patriotism should be honestly
felt, not force fed. As I choke down more
tributes sure to be aired during the
Superbowl, 1 will be nostalgic for the
days when car manufacturers said we
should buy a car because it would make
us "cool" and football players limited
their on camera speeches to "Hi, Mom!"
Donna Haney is a graduate student
in the M.Ed, program and news editor for
The Rambler.
Student publication undergoes change
Editor's Note
As you may already have noticed,
this issue marks the launch of The
Rambler's new look.
Wesleyan's student newspaper has
gone through numerous incarnations in
its 85-year history, but this is the first
major modifications made to The
Rambler's appearance since 1994.
The changes aren't just about
looks, however. The new format will
allow us to devote more coverage to a
larger variety of issues and events that
are important to members of the cam-
pus community.
The Campus Life and Sports
pages are back, along with our newest
addition, "Odds 'n Ends," which will
be comprised of an array of features
that will change from week to week.
If there is something you would
like to see in this section, e-mail us at
twurambler@yahoo.com with your
suggestions.
We will also be adding a classified
advertisement section, where students
and others will be able to list items to
buy and sell. For more information on
low-cost advertising, call 817-531-
7582.
We hope that with these changes,
The Rambler will continue to serve
students' needs.
As always, if you have any feed-
back, feel free to call, write or e-mail.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Your opinion is important to us!
Tell us what you think of The Rambler's new
look and any other issues you deem important.
Send your comments via e-mail at twurambler
@yahoo.com or call 817-531-7552.
The Rambler
ukdin IV17 as The Hambn
Harold (i Jeffcoat. Puhlishei
Mi l,inn- Manning, editor in <
Donna Hanev. new s editor
Jaclvn (ion:ales. entertainmt
Elizabeth West, advertising/business manage
l)ust\ Wriglu, photo edito
Jose Valde:. managing edito
Member of the Associated College Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association
Opinions expressed in The Rambler are those of the individual author only and do not necessarily reflect the \iews of the Tc
Wesleyan community as a whole
Letter* to the editor The Rambler, a weekly publication, welcomes all letters All submissions must have a full printed nar
phone number and signature; however, confidentiality will be granted if requested
While every consideration is made to publish letters, publication is limited by time and space The editors reserve the right I
edit all submissions for space, grammar, clarity and style.
Letters to the editor may be subject to response from «ditors and students on the opinions page
"We are not afraid to follow the truth, wherever it may lead Th« nias Jefferson
Address all correspondence to:
Texas Wesleyan University, The Rambler, 1201 Wesleyan St., Fort Worth, I X 76105.
Newsroom: 531-7552 Advertising: 531-7582 Fa*: 531-4X78
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Rambler Ratings
Thumbs Up to Cedric Adams and the Nation of Faith Church for
donating new chairs for the Carter Conference Room.
Thumbs down to the campus bookstore. Your mission should not be to
create a text book shortage in order to increase demand. If professors
order 25 books for their class, 25 books should be delivered. In this
blame game between faculty and the bookstore, students are the ulti-
mate losers.
Thumbs up to the new manager of Quiznos. Service may not have got-
ten much faster, but it is certainly friendlier. That's a step in the right
direction.
Thumbs down to the housekeeping staff for failing to refill toilet paper
dispensers. We hate to hover. 'Nuff said.
Thumbs up to Gary Brunner in ITS for finally installing internet in the
modular building. It's fun joining the 90s!
Thumbs down to maintenance for sending out an exterminator to rid a
resident hall of mice and bugs. Unfortunately, only one apartment was
treated. The bugs didn't die, they just relocated.
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Manning, Melanie. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 31, 2002, newspaper, January 31, 2002; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth253266/m1/3/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.