[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 115 (Thursday, September 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1598-E1599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         VERMONT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT CONGRESSIONAL TOWN MEETING

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 6, 2001

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the outstanding work done 
by participants in my Student Congressional Town Meeting held this 
summer. These participants were part of a group of high school students 
from around Vermont who testified about the concerns they have as 
teenagers, and about what they would like to see government do 
regarding these concerns.
  I am asking that these statements be printed in the Congressional 
Record, as I believe that the views of these young persons will benefit 
my colleagues.

            Regarding The Media in Public Life, May 7, 2001

       APRIL LEICHTNAM: ``There are two ways to slide through 
     life; to believe everything or doubt everything. Both ways 
     save us from

[[Page E1599]]

     thinking.'' Alfred Korzybski. The media plays an important 
     role in the lives of all human beings. There are numerous 
     different forms of media. Some of these forms are printouts 
     such as newspapers, books, fliers, billboards, clothing, 
     signs and magazines. Along with print media, there is 
     nonprint media, such as television, radio, movies, cassette 
     tapes, CDs, videotapes, Internet and other electronic modes 
     of communication. When the media constructs the message they 
     would like to convey, they have two things in mind. They have 
     a purpose, and they design them to evoke a certain response 
     from their audience.
       LAURA DICK: The main purpose of the media is to inform 
     people of the things around them, to persuade them into doing 
     and buying things, to entertain them by showing them false 
     images, and to sell products by not always telling what is 
     true. Also, when constructing ads, the advertisers look to 
     make the ad appealing to those who are seeing it. They use 
     many different types of techniques. Some of these techniques 
     include humor, comparisons, economics, social prestige, 
     emotional appeal, appeal to fears and insecurities, 
     statistics and studies, exotic appeals, a sense of belonging, 
     a sense of mastery, a desire to be noticed, consumer 
     compliments, the use of parental figures, and also ``weasel'' 
     words. many of these techniques are designed to target a 
     certain audience. Also, a lot of these claims on TV make ads 
     meaningless. for example, an ad will say, ``virtually 
     spotless,'' instead of just ``spotless,'' which does not mean 
     the dishes will be totally spotless, but it makes one think 
     they will be. Some other common advertising techniques 
     include bandwagon, attraction, happy families, something-for-
     nothing, testimonials, ``all natural,'' nostalgia, and 
     patriotism. We ask have a statistic that shows the influence 
     on media on the lives of many people today. For example:
       APRIL LEICHTNAM: During one year, a child will see 
     approximately 3,000 drinking episodes on television. The 
     average American child will view approximately 75,000 beer 
     ads by the age of 18. Alcohol advertising accounts for 3 to 5 
     percent of total revenue on TV, and 12 percent on radio. 
     Prime time and soap operas expose teenagers to sexual scenes 
     every nine minutes. Fewer than 6 percent of males and 2 
     percent of females on TV are obese, yet 25 to 45 percent of 
     the American population is overweight, and two major health 
     problems among teens are anorexia and bulimia. The average 
     American watches 1,000 hours of television every year. In 
     1991, three out of four households owned a VCR. The average 
     American sees about 32,000 commercials every year. In 1998, a 
     60-second commercial cost $2,600,000 during the Super Bowl. 
     The average American household owns two to three televisions. 
     The average child views 10,000 murders, raps and aggravated 
     assaults in one year. 20 to 28 hours per week are spent 
     viewing television. This is the only activity we spend more 
     time doing besides sleeping. Four out of five Americans 
     believe violence on TV causes real violence. Beer commercials 
     air while drinking portrayal occurs five times per hour. 
     Average high school students spend two to three hours a day 
     watching TV on school days, and eight hours a day on 
     weekends. 90 million households own at least one TV set. 63 
     percent have two or more sets. By the first grade, the 
     average child has seen 5,000 hours of TV. There are more 
     people in the world who have televisions than indoor 
     plumbing. In promoting things that are not reality, the media 
     promotes such complex problems as drug addiction, crime, teen 
     pregnancy, promiscuous sex, materialism, violence, racism, 
     eating disorders, tobacco and alcohol consumption by teens 
     and younger children, sexual and physical abuse, profanity, 
     voter apathy, and pornography. Therefore, we conclude that 
     media literacy classes should be offered in every high school 
     in the state of Vermont.

                                  ____
                                  

                 Regarding Public Schools, May 7, 2001

       PATTY RALSTON: We have a video.
       CONGRESSMAN SANDERS: You have a video?
       PATTY RALSTON: Yes.
       (Videotape played.)
       CONGRESSMAN SANDERS: Thank you very much for that excellent 
     video. Who wants to begin verbal presentation now? You don't 
     think you are going to get away with just the video, do you? 
     Just because you are TV stars does not exempt you from 
     discussing it. Your name again?
       SELENIA COGHLAN: Selenia Coghlan. Like I said on the video, 
     I just feel that like--I'm not in public school right now, 
     but I go to the Learning Edge. I'm getting my adult diploma. 
     But when I was in the middle school or public schools, I feel 
     that, if you are on a different level than the other kids, 
     like if you can't read as well or you can't do math as well, 
     they treat you a lot differently. And, basically, I feel it 
     is the teachers' fault, because they're there to educate you 
     and they should be the ones to teach you, and when you get 
     your diploma, it shouldn't be just because you got passed 
     along. You should know something.
       CONGRESSMAN SANDERS: Let me back you up here. I don't know 
     that everybody knows. Why don't you guys say a few words 
     about the Lund Home? How is the Lund Home different from 
     other schools?
       SELENIA COGHLAN: The Lund Home is for young parenting and 
     pregnant teens. And is it a small class, where all females 
     that are pregnant or parenting can get their diploma or GED. 
     And they take math, history, everything that public schools 
     take, and they also take parenting skills classes and like 
     things that you need to know about parenting, or whatever. If 
     you don't want to parent, what you could do, or if you want 
     to parent, what you could to.
       CONGRESSMAN SANDERS: Thank you. Next?
       PATTY SALVAS: I never went to public schools in Vermont, 
     but I do know that a lot of the public schools aren't very 
     friendly to teen moms, and for like the people on welfare, 
     they don't give them enough initiative. So they need to be 
     more sympathetic towards them.
       CONGRESSMAN SANDERS: Okay.
       PATTY RALSTON: People shouldn't really, like just cause we 
     had kids young and everything too, doesn't mean like--you 
     know what I mean? Because I will make it, and whether anybody 
     says I won't, I will.
       CONGRESSMAN SANDERS: How many students are there at Lund?
       PATTY RALSTON: We go to the Learning Edge. It is a 
     different program, but there is like seven, eight--ten right 
     now. Ten right now.
       CONGRESSMAN SANDERS: And do you think the Learning Edge 
     does things for young parenting moms that a public school 
     often does not do?
       PATTY RALSTON: Yes. They're helpful. And they're always 
     there if you need like support or anything. They are there. 
     You know they're there.
       SELENIA COGHLAN: The other students that were talking 
     before us, they said something, the other side--what is it 
     called?
       CONGRESSMAN SANDERS: Alternative.
       SELENIA COGHLAN: Alternative schools. I think those are 
     really great for kids. Some people do have problems maybe, 
     with family, and that is why the are there, but some kids 
     learn slower than other kids. Like me, I have to have 
     somebody explain what I need, you know, like how to do it. Or 
     if I just have a teacher in front of me saying, this, and 
     there you go, I won't know anything, and then I won't do it.
       CONGRESSMAN SANDERS: So you think different types of kids 
     respond to different--
       SELENIA COGHLAN: Everybody is different. I feel like 
     everybody is different and everybody learns differently. 
     There are kids that can learn things a lot quicker, and lots 
     of people that can't. And I feel it is good to have 
     alternatives for pregnant and parenting teens, and just for 
     other kids that need the extra help, even if they are not 
     pregnant or parenting.

     

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