Audio By Carbonatix
ON THE JUICE
C’mon, Fred: What a ridiculous argument Fred Goldman makes for publishing O.J. Simpson’s garbage book (“Snuff Book,” The Bird, September 20)! As if, in so doing, he’s going to help women in abusive relationships. Please!
The real reason for Goldman’s pushing the book is obvious. He wants to make loads of money! O.J.’s protected from having to pay out the millions Goldman and his family won because he lives in a state, Florida, that doesn’t recognize the lawsuit judgment they won in California, and Goldman has to profit off his son Ron’s death somehow. That’s what fathers do, right?
I’m just happy that O.J. has managed to get himself thrown in jail in Las Vegas. It should have happened after he murdered Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson, but better late than never.
John Riley, Phoenix
PARTY MONSTERS
They’re called children for a reason: Has anyone considered placing the blame for what happened on this trip on the students (“Eurotrashed,” Megan Irwin, September 13)? It was the students who decided to go out and get drunk every night to the point where they were falling down.
If it’s anyone else’s fault, it’s the parents’ for not teaching their kids control. In today’s high schools, kids go out every weekend and get just as drunk as do kids in Europe. I know, because not only do I know some of these kids, I was a part of this a couple of years ago.
The parents are only trying to find excuses to not to blame their children, when their kids acted like a bunch of 2-year-olds in another part of the world. I was a student on one of Angie DiMaggio’s trips, and we never had any of the problems that they had on this trip.
It’s not the teacher’s fault.
Parents are told ahead of time that there is drinking over there and that this is not a school-sponsored trip. If the parents didn’t like that, they shouldn’t have let their kids go. The parents need to take responsibility and not try to blame someone else who is trying to give the kids an experience of a lifetime.
Nolan Plese, Mesa
Mamma D: candidate for sainthood?: I want to start with saying that I have sympathy for those who had to witness some of these events. I see both sides of this story and can understand why some parents would be very frustrated and angry. If my kid got knocked out with a golf club, you’d better believe that I would be enraged.
However, parents need to take a good look at themselves and their kids before letting them go on a trip like this. They need to realize that accidents can/will happen and that Mamma D can’t watch all 80 students at one time.
If the parents feel that there needs to be more parents/chaperones on the trip, then they need to either speak up or choose to not let their child go on the trip. Parents, if your kids are 18, then they are considered adults, and they should behave like adults, no matter what country they’re in. They need to be responsible for their actions and not blame them on others.
I personally know about 1,000 students who have gone on Mamma D’s trips, and none has ever had an experience like this. D would never, ever put one of her students in harm’s way on purpose and would sacrifice her own life to protect others. On the trip I was on, she treated us as her own.
Angie DiMaggio is someone who made going to school a privilege, not a chore. Mamma D is loved by thousands and thousands of students, teachers, and parents, and most will never stop loving her.
Robert Wietzema, Mesa
Party on, Zac: As an ’06 Dobson High School grad, I was invited on Mamma D’s trip. Money was an issue, but I could have made it happen if I really wanted to. I declined because I knew many of the kids going and felt that I would have a different idea of a good time from what they would. I enjoy art, culture and history — not partying.
The parents who are insisting that Mrs. DiMaggio is responsible need to keep in touch with their kids better. High school graduates, and even those in their senior year, are responsible for their actions; and the next level of incumbency lies with their parents, not their tour-guides.
Zac Wood, Chandler
Words of wisdom from Deutschland: This article is horrible and probably not neutral coverage about the events that happened. It’s very persuasive and leads to the overall opinion that study trips should not be offered to young adults — or, as Europe regards them, adults.
I am from Germany, where drinking is legal at age 16. And most people whom I know are aware of their drinking limits by age 17. They puked out their soul at one point in their lives, and now they know how much alcohol they can handle.
Now, if young adults never were able to get even close to alcohol, and all of a sudden, they can buy as much as they want, they’re tempted to have as much fun as possible. Because they know that after they return to the United States, they won’t be able to legally drink for three more years.
I don’t think it’s the job of the tour leader to stop the teenagers from drinking. I think that, at age 18, the teenagers should think rationally enough to drink with responsibility. It’s the job of the parents to explain that one glass of wine won’t kill you, but if you overdo it, you will become more aggressive, less aware of what you’re doing, and you’ll lose inhibitions.
On this trip, the students had new freedoms, and they weren’t able to handle them. That’s really sad. Now, I don’t believe that 18-year-old Europeans are more mature than Americans, but I just don’t see them puking as much in European capitals. I guess alcohol is not that exciting here because it’s nothing special.
I hope the article doesn’t scare the students away from participating in student-travel programs. In my opinion, it’s good to have itchy feet and want to explore the world. Horrifying newspaper articles shouldn’t stop globetrotters from fulfilling their dreams.