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PS3 craze goes too far
Published November 24, 2006
We take some comfort that Brazoria County was spared the ridiculousness experienced outside retail stores the morning of Nov. 17. As we read the news reports from other parts of the country, however, we found ourselves appalled at the mayhem that can occur when too many people want to get their hands on too few goods.
This was not a food line, where starving people shove to the front in an attempt to grab onto something to feed their families. It was over a video game console — a $600 video game console.
The debut of the PlayStation 3 a week ago was a painful spectacle of what we deem important in our society.
In Hartford, Conn., a man was shot when two thugs tried to rob the people waiting in line outside an electronics store for a chance to buy a PlayStation 3. One man refused to give up his money, so the thugs put a bullet in him.
In Sullivan, Ind., a man and his friend tried to steal a console from two other men after having waited 36 hours in line without being able to purchase one. One of the would-be robbers was promptly stabbed.
In two cities in Virginia, police were forced to fire riot-dispersing chemicals to subdue rowdy crowds in the hundreds outside stores that had but a handful of consoles to sell.
And in Fresno, Calif., and Wisconsin, people were trampled in rushes to be among the first to buy the much sought-after video game.
All of that is made even more pathetic by the fact a good percentage of the folks who waited for days to part with their money did so with the intent of never even opening the box. Instead, they turned around and sold them through online auction sites, some fetching upward of $5,000.
We wonder what it says of us as Americans that so many set aside their lives for as much as a week to wait in line to buy a video game console, or that there actually are people out there willing to pay thousands of dollars just for the right to stick their noses in the air at neighbors or give them to their spoiled little brats Christmas morning.
There are so many better things we can do with our money and our time — and we don’t have to risk being shot or stabbed to do them.
This editorial was written by Michael Morris, assistant managing editor of The Facts.
Pair of Angleton students represent student-athletes across the county
Balancing good grades, athletic success and civic involvement can be tricky for high school students, yet many do it each and every year.
Two Angleton students — Travis Walthall and Ashley Silva — recently were nominated for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award, which celebrates the achievements of top high school seniors across the country in and out of the classroom.
Walthall, a standout offensive and defensive lineman on the Angleton Wildcat football team who also participates in powerlifting and track, has a 3.63 grade point average and has been a member of the Boy Scouts since he was a Tiger Scout.
Silva has been playing first base for the Angleton High softball team since her freshman year and also plays volleyball at the school. A member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society, she has a 3.7 grade point average. She recently committed to Howard Payne University, where she will be playing softball for the Lady ’Jackets. She also gets involved in Angleton events such as city cleanups and Relay for Life, a walk to benefit those with cancer.
We congratulate Walthall and Silva for standing out as fine student-athletes within the Angleton community and recognize they represent a much larger population of high school students who shine at their schools and in their communities across Brazoria County.
To those who give their all each day and in all they do, here’s a well-deserved pat on the back.
This editorial was written by Chris Greene, sports editor of The Facts.
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