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It used to be that small towns like Carrollton were the last vestiges of
common sense and common courtesy, but it only takes one trip around the 25-
mile circle of this campus to see just how wrong that is now.**
- Larry Peel
Is courtesy dead in the 21st century?
The View
From My Front Porch
With Larry L. Peel
larry@ioncinema.com
I have been people
watching lately. That's
what I do; watch people,
watch critters (like Stan),
and write a lot - 1 am an
English major after all.
One thing 1 have noticed is
that things have changed
drastically in the last few
years. Road rage is up.
little old ladies have no
Boy Scouts to help them
across the road, and it’s
every man for himself.
It used to be
that small towns like
Carrollton were the last
vestiges of common sense
and common courtesy,
but it only takes one
trip around the 2.5-mile
The best that popular culture doesn't have to offer
By Kelly Quimby
Staff Writer
kellyjLiuimby@yahoo.com
Part I: Broadcast
television
Though it feels socially
alienating, there is some
merit in only watching
broadcast television. For
those of us who can’t afford
satellite or cable TV (or are
just too stubborn to pay S6O
to get it fixed) it is a broadcast
world. Programming may be
boring 80% of the time, but
we have developed ways of
entertaining ourselves that
those with three hundred
channels needn’t bother
with. While satellite can
bring you Adult Swim on
those late nights, we stay up,
searching through You Tube
for Daily Show clips and
discovering bands that
MTV, MTV 2, VHI, BET,
CMT, etc. do not loop two
hundred times a day.
Thankfully,the void left
by all those channels cannot
be filled by broadcast. Time
is spent listening to records
and reading newspapers.
Old fashioned, I know, but
we must learn about the
newest arrivals of books
from somewhere. Though
I am ignorant of today’s
popular culture due to
broadcast shortcomings, I
am somehow surviving...
even if I do still possess old
Taking Back Sunday t-shirts
from my long past days of
pop music enjoyment.
For the rest of your
reading experience, I ask you
to look at the world through
the eyes of someone who
does not regularly watch
ullfe meat deorgian
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circle of this campus to
see just how wrong that
is now.
Drivers cut each
other off to get the few
parking spaces, beat the
traffic lights, just get to
class before the professor
locks the door. The only
thing that really saves the
student body from the true
sense of road rage is the
fact that approximately
every 6 minutes you will
find a patrolling UWG
police officer. The effect
that a strong police
presence has on campus
is reassuring because
it not only aids in the
safety and security of the
satellite programming.
Think of the movies you
saw on Star/ and HBO that
you otherwise wouldn’t
have seen. Think of the
South Park jokes everyone
laughs about the next day
in class, and imagine you
did not get to see it last
night or the night before,
or any night this week for
that matter except when
you impatiently streamed
a couple of videos from
Comedy Central .com.
Think about the
material I’m about to
recommend—not as the
outcasts of American
popular culture; instead
imagine that you are one
of those people who, like
myself, survive on the
outskirts of mainstream life.
If you are one of these brave
people, do not think that
I am trying to be snide or
insulting. We are in similar
situations, and I respect
anyone who feels the void
left by the information they
are not receiving.
The Best of Broadcast
Television (TBS and CBS
not included because for the
most part their programming
is reruns or just not that
great)
Channel 2: ABC
o Daytime
• Oprah: has one of
the biggest fan bases in the
world. Her humble roots
and philanthropic ways
have made her an army of
Angel Network do-gooders
and almost every book
recommended by Oprah’s
Book Club makes the New
York Times Best Sellers
List (Monday-Friday 4:00
students, it can also lead
to some valuable lessons
being learned.
In a recent 3-day
period, UWG Police
dispatch logs recorded 11
traffic stops on campus,
but only 3 citations. That
tells me that in nearly
75% of the cases the
officer chose to speak
to the student/driver
and hopefully impart
a lesson on safety and
lawful behavior. Students
should greatly appreciate
that kind of commitment
and dedication to their
future as well as their
safety. Try getting off
that easy off campus. It
won’t happen.
Fortunately for
pedestrian students
of UWG, the police
department doesn’t
enforce the jaywalking
laws. That brings me
back to my thoughts on
PM).
o Primetime
• Grey’s Anatomy:
perhaps the most popular
doctor show on the air
right now. The fan base is
mainly female, but can you
blame us? McSteamy and
McDreamy are perfect male
specimens that represent a
miniscule demographic of
American MDs (Thursday
9:00 PM)
• Lost: survivors of
a plane crash stranded on
a desert island. How could
such a cliche concept be so
dam confusing? Hopefully
when new episodes begin
airing next week some of our
questions will be answered
(Wednesday 10:00 PM)
Channel 5: FOX
o Primetime
• Prison Break:
William Fitchner plays a
believable FBI agent and
Stacy Reach humbly graces
the show as a warden.
Though the casting directors
made a great choice by
allowing Robin Tunney to
play Veronica Donovan,
she was killed off last
August when she was shot
in the head. Casting has not
improved since (Monday
8:00 PM).
• 24: A revolutionary
concept for a primetime
television show has made
24 a cult classic. Kiefer
Sutherland is an excellent
acto’- and every hour
brings more action packed
debauchery. Just one
question, when does Jack
Bauer sleep???( Monday
9:00 PM)
• American Idol:
Personally, I hate this
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OPINION H
courtesy. Yes, it is true
that Georgia state law
gives pedestrians the right
of way in crosswalks.
However, the association
of crossing signals at
intersections where there
are traffic lights tempers
that right. Does that stop
the students who believe
it is their god given right
to cross when they feel
like it? Of course not.
I would be willing to
bet that most students
crossing at the TLC
don’t even know there
are signals in place that
are supposed to regulate
their movement. Those
that do likely don’t care.
The funny thing
about it all though is that
the same students who
will walk out into the
path of oncoming cars
are the same ones who
will sit and curse the
pedestrians who walk in
show, but because of the
overwhelming attention it
receives, I couldn’t very
well skip over it. You would
think that the shock factor
would subside alter two or
three seasons, but no, the
American people drink it
up, so Fox won’t cancel it.,.,
unfortunately (Tuesday 8:00
PM, Wednesday 9:00 PM*), ’
• Bones: based
on actual forensic
anthropologist. Dr.
Temperance Brennan! Emily
Deschanel) w ith ex-vampire
David Boreanaz, the show
is good background noise
on lonely Wednesday nights
(Wednesday 8:00 PM)
• MADtv: (Saturday
11:00 PM) though it no
longer has the all-star cast
with which it began and
Michael McDonald is the
only recognizable face,
there might be a few mildly
funny sketches every now
and again.
• Animation
Domination: Sunday nights
on Fox is a magical time.
The lineup boasts the best
animated comedies on
broadcast television. The
Simpsons begin the night,
King of the Hill follows,
then Seth MacFarlane rules
for an hour with Family
Guy and American Dad.
Possibly the best broadcast
night of the week. (Sunday
8:00-10:00)
o Late Night: If you are
lucky, on certain days of the
week, mainly after the 10:00
News, you can catch reruns
of Malcolm in the Middle
and King of the Hill.
Channel 11: NBC
o Daytime
front of their car later
on.
A few weeks ago a
visiting professor from
Great Britain was in
Atlanta on a convention
when he decided that
he too was better than
us Yanks, and decided
to cross at a location
other than a marked
crosswalk. According to
news reports, the man
was tackled by Atlanta
Police, handcuffed and
jailed for the offense. I
bet if the UWG Police
did that a couple of times
we would suddenly
find people actually
can observe crossing
signals.
Pedestrians on this
campus are selfish in
other ways too. They
seem to think that just
because they are no
longer in their cars that
they are more entitled to
• Jeopardy! It
tragic, really. An intelligent
show that once occupied a
primetimeslotisnow lighting
for ratings against Oprah
Winfrey. Poor Alex Trebek.
The bump is a speculated
reason for the mustache
removal...(Monday-Friday
4:00PM)
o Primetime
• World News
Tonight with Charles
Gibson: Undoubtedly
the most accurate and
informative daily news
show' on broadcast
television. Gibson was an
excellent choice to fill the
shoes of Peter Jennings
though he doesn’t quite
reach Jennings’ stature in
the journalism realm.
• Heroes: Personally,
I never miss an episode of
this show. I have an affinity
for mutants. X-Men has
been my comic of choice
for over ten years (Betty
& Veronica comes in a
close second...) and when I
watched the pilot, I knew I
would be a devoted fan. My
only suggestion would be to
kill of Nikki/Jessica as she
annoys me, but besides that
one minor glitch, Heroes
is unrivaled (Monday 9:00
PM)
• My Name is Earl:
A show that somehow seems
vaguely in touch with my
own life. Jason Lee is one of
the funniest men (with one
of the best mustaches) on
primetime. Jamie Pressley is
perfect for her role and Ethan
Suplee (Randy) has achieved
a healthier weight and career.
(Thursday 8:00 PM)
• The Office: At first I
could not pinpoint what was
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be in a rush than those
still hunting in vain for
a place to park. It is
an incredibly common
sight to see a vast line of
students who approach
a crosswalk and rather
than stop for 45 seconds
or so to cross as a group,
choose to flow in a
single line like a run
of ducks. Not only is it
rude, but also incredibly
frustrating to the people
who are waiting in
line in their cars as the
entire population of the
Quad tries to get to the
apartments in single file.
It is amazing to
me that this University
has so few accidents
and pedestrian vs. auto
encounters. I suppose that
is the sole consolation in
this mess. No one has
died....recently.
so different about the Office.
I mean, like American Idol
it was a sensation in Britain
that found fame across the
pond. Then I realized, no
stupid background music.
Just acting and comedy.
Extremely funny comedy. I
do not believe Steve Carrell
has ever made a dumb career
move. (Thursday 8:30 PM)
• Scrubs: And I
thought NBC had cancelled
this show. Silly me! After
w atching the Scrubs musical
two weeks ago, I fell in love
with the show yet again.
1 do not believe there is
a better use of fantasy
sequences (except maybe
Family Guy) anywhere.
Though Scrubs has to fight
with Grey’s Anatomy for
ratings, I don’t think Grey ’s
is even comparable. Forget
the over attractive cast of
Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs is
the doctor show to watch
(Thursday 9:00).
o Late Night
• The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno (Monday-
Friday 12:00 AM)
• Late Night With
Conan O’Brien (Monday-
Friday 1:00 AM)
• Saturday Night
Live: no matter how' much
sketch comedies continue to
decline, NBC will not give
up. Now, not only do they
have the ruined remnants
of this once great sketch
comedy show, but NBC also
has Studio 60 on the Sunset
Strip a “dramady” about a
sketch comedy (which is a
pretty accurate seeing how it
is as boring as SNL) and 30
Rock which also isn’t funny
and features ex-unfunny
SNL cast member Tina Fey.