Don't sacrifice dignity
Amanda Heidman
Issue date: 9/8/08 Section: Opinion
Living on a college student's salary sways peoples' choices, often leading them to 89-cent tacos, ramen noodles and Keystone Light. When looking for other ways to pinch pennies, the question often arises of what won't you do for a bit of spare change. How much does your dignity really cost? This week, the police in Macomb in junction with MTV's "Busted" gave Western Illinois University students a chance to decide just that.
"Busted" allows viewers to ride along with police around the country to see what happens when juveniles break the law. Not only does the public get to witness the arrest, but they also get to hear the offender's reasoning behind their actions as they try to explain and often defend their crime.
This week, Macomb residents are getting their chance to see themselves in the spotlight and receive their 15 minutes of fame, if they so choose. As the "Busted" crew winds their way through the streets, the bars and the house parties of Macomb, underage drinkers and other (mostly) harmless criminals get to find out first hand what the show is all about.
Getting caught by the police is bad enough on its own, but when "Busted" catches someone, the offender must suffer the humiliation of a bright spotlight on their face and cameras surrounding them in their worst of moments. The perk to this is that MTV offers to pay the caught delinquent if they sign a release form allowing MTV to use their footage and put them on their show.
To some people, this sounds great. They find absolute humor in it and even strive to make an appearance on camera. To others, though, they understand that their reputation is at stake and that being on national television for committing a crime may not be the most glamorous way to get known. In the case of an arrest, a decision needs to be made: Is it worth the money that MTV offers you to be on television, or it is a better choice to take the ticket and pay it fully out of pocket?
The right decision is obviously to stay out of that situation entirely. If the strained college student budget is such a factor that someone would be willing to appear on MTV's "Busted" to save some cash, then perhaps drinking isn't the most financially responsible habit - but the fact of the matter is, this kind of logic will never get through to college students. So when you drink and the "Busted" cameras come out, all that is left to do is decide just how much your dignity costs.
"Busted" allows viewers to ride along with police around the country to see what happens when juveniles break the law. Not only does the public get to witness the arrest, but they also get to hear the offender's reasoning behind their actions as they try to explain and often defend their crime.
This week, Macomb residents are getting their chance to see themselves in the spotlight and receive their 15 minutes of fame, if they so choose. As the "Busted" crew winds their way through the streets, the bars and the house parties of Macomb, underage drinkers and other (mostly) harmless criminals get to find out first hand what the show is all about.
Getting caught by the police is bad enough on its own, but when "Busted" catches someone, the offender must suffer the humiliation of a bright spotlight on their face and cameras surrounding them in their worst of moments. The perk to this is that MTV offers to pay the caught delinquent if they sign a release form allowing MTV to use their footage and put them on their show.
To some people, this sounds great. They find absolute humor in it and even strive to make an appearance on camera. To others, though, they understand that their reputation is at stake and that being on national television for committing a crime may not be the most glamorous way to get known. In the case of an arrest, a decision needs to be made: Is it worth the money that MTV offers you to be on television, or it is a better choice to take the ticket and pay it fully out of pocket?
The right decision is obviously to stay out of that situation entirely. If the strained college student budget is such a factor that someone would be willing to appear on MTV's "Busted" to save some cash, then perhaps drinking isn't the most financially responsible habit - but the fact of the matter is, this kind of logic will never get through to college students. So when you drink and the "Busted" cameras come out, all that is left to do is decide just how much your dignity costs.
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