Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 20, 1995 TAG: 9505220012
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A good deal of her complaint dealt with the presentation's lack of suitability for children. While I agree with her points about profanity and moral values (or lack of) offered in the play, which I didn't attend after reviewing the synoposis, I do have a few questions:
Did she remain to see the entire play? I find that walking out in the middle of a performance makes a bigger statement than complaining afterwards.
Did she complain to the theater's management as she walked out? They're bound to defend any play they put on. However, if enough people complain about the quality of the works, it will change.
Has she suggested to others that they boycott similar works?
If she has children, has she explained to them what she finds objectionable, and why?
Parents, take note. Not all plays offered to your children will agree with the ethics you're trying to impart. Schools often have no more idea than you what the moral value of a play or movie is, and will not check other than the rating. If you object, don't allow your child to go. There are worse things for them than being the only one who doesn't attend an activity with dubious moral lessons.
DORIS L. BARNETT ROANOKE
Elderly prefer to go by train
IS ROANOKE really serious about becoming a tourist attraction, which would mean a big economic boost? What about providing alternate means to transport people to our city?
We have one major airline and commuters, if one wants to risk them. Taking to the highway is even riskier. Bus service is tedious, at best.
Older people are not eager to attempt such modes of transportation, as a rule. If there were even a biweekly passenger train between here and Richmond to connect with trains going north and south, think how much more accessible Roanoke would be. And it would be great for business.
Please give us another way in and out of this valley!
MRS. ALBERT L. FITZGERALD ROANOKE
Randomness leads to violence
RANDOM natural laws? Does Morton Nadler (May 7 commentary, ``Such a God as this is no comfort'') really believe what he stated? Think about it. If, as he states, the universe really evolved through a process that is ``essentially random,'' then how could it have ``evolved through the workings of material forces acting in accordance with natural laws on matter and energy''?
Webster defines random as ``roving motion or course without direction: want of direction, rule, or method.'' Further, Webster defines law, in Nadler's context, as ``a sequence of events in nature or in human activities that has been observed to occur with unvarying uniformity.'' Sounds real random, doesn't it? If his belief has such a shaky logical foundation, I suggest he examine another.
Moreover, if this universe is truly random, how can Nadler expect ethical consistency? If humans are of random development, then there exist 5.5 billion different answers to the question: Is it wrong to do violence? Therefore, there must be a common right and wrong, a law. If there's a common right and wrong, a common ethic, then logic points away from randomness toward design, even in ethics. Randomness doesn't lead to laws, but to violence. Check the dictionary.
Though Nadler's philosophy is as empty as his logic, I heartily agree with his final assertion that ``We must find a rational solution.'' Just not in his random universe, which naturally leads to anarchy.
THOMAS FOLEY ROANOKE
Neighborhood's image was distorted
AS A resident of the Wasena area for the past seven years, I resent the overly dramatic April 30 news article ``Trouble in Wasena.''
As a full-time mother, I spend a lot of time in this neighborhood greeting neighbors, driving the streets and pushing my son's stroller down the sidewalks. I've not witnessed any menacing or suspicious activities.
I applaud the Wasena Neighborhood Forum for its dedication to keeping Wasena an enjoyable place to live. But let's not let a few isolated incidents distort what Wasena truly is: a safe and pleasant family neighborhood.
EMILY S. GRAY ROANOKE
by CNB