8 ~ Sunday, December 25, 1994 - North Shoru News

prey wa Fhe oe or

FE at

violence
to task

Dear Editor:

North Yancouver District’s deci-
sion to take a stand on television
violence is a timely step in a long
process of creating a future for our:
selves, our children and their chil-

* dren.

Our society has been changing
dramatically since the beginning of
television, Now we aiust. be
accountable for the choices we have
been making. We have realized that
we cannot keep poisoning our
rivers, our ait, aur food. Sav toa,
with the pollution of the minds and
hearts of our young people and of
ourselves,

Television feeds us. There are
producers of wonderful programs to
whom we owe a debt of gratitude
for their creative perseverance.

his up to us to decide if, as a
society, we are content to allow the
lowest, base drives of violent
aggression to be fed to each and
every one of us.

To put the parent as the sole bas-
tion of TV morality is to sentence
many homes to years of arguments
over who can decide what is accept-
able.

Our social fabric depends on
feeling that we have a role, a place,
and can expect support from our
governments, Are we content to let
the sleaze-bags of our society feed
our young, or do we want a true
smorgasbord of positive values
ingested?

A diet of mind-numbing vio-
lence lowers our individual and cul-
tural strength.

I have come to realize that it is a
long way from North Vancouver to
the offices of Parliament in Ottawa.

But I can pick up my phone and
talk to district council members,
whom I can get to know and relate
to. For them to carry my concerns
and for all the other municipal gov-
ernment representatives to do the
same is to truly empower a popula-
tion made up of families to speak to
the provincial and federal levels.

This is where the action is. This
is where the future is being made
for us. We cannot afford to fit the
‘Canadian stereotype of being sheep
to be manipulated, too polite to call
trash, trash.

“Thanks to Ernie Crist and the
rest of our elected representatives
for having the courage to realize the
importance of their role.

Deanne Mandell
North Vancouver

Smile, Santa

‘Dear Santa:
c/o the North Shore News

_ Lam writing to ask you why you
are sad and grumpy. I went to the
Capilano Mall with my mummy
and daddy to have my picture taken
with you and you were not the holly
jolly happy fellow f expected.

We waited a very long time in
‘the jine-up and when | got to the
front of the line, ali you said to me
was,-“Is she next?"

It wasn’t a ho, ho, ho, ho happy
voice like { expected, you were
grumpy. You didn’t smile for the
camera or bounce me on your knee
or anything. My face isn’t: very
happy in my picture with Santa
because you made me feel sad.

My mummy talked to the people
at Black’s Cameras and they said a
lot of children thought Santa was
grumpy but there wasn’t anything
they could do.

Is there anything you can do,
Santa? :

Bayley Faragher ,
Age 18 months
Bowen Island

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