Over to you

Three more Transition Year students have won a week's work placement in The Irish Times.

All the places for this school year have now been filled. `Over to you' will return after Easter, but students who have a piece published will no longer be eligible for work placement. Instead, the authors will each receive a book token.

Shane Carthy, St Augustine's College, Dungarvan, Co Waterford

In the last 10 years the world (and in particular America) has fallen in love with anything remotely connected with Irish culture, especially Irish dancing.

On the surface it would appear this kind of rapport with Ireland is a good thing. However, to call Riverdance Lord of the Dance traditional Irish dancing might be like calling Eric Clapton a blues artist, in my opinion. Both shows are, in fact, commercialised derivatives. They tap into a market in which people think they are buying a traditional Irish video or record and fit nicely into many people's politically correct "ethnic" section of their record collections. It is no coincidence that there is a high level of interest worldwide in Irish culture as the Celtic Tiger continues. Surely, though, this should mean that at last we can afford to export real Irish culture instead of pseudo-Celtic "Oirishness".

Sarah Jordan, St Dominic's College, Cabra, Dublin

It annoys me immensely to still find racism in the world today. It is amazing the amount of pain people have gone through and the extent to which someone will go to get rid of someone of a different tribe, race, age or colour.

In this century in Europe, Nazism killed off Jews and gypsies in order to create a so-called "superior race"; The Aryan race theory seems ridiculous to many; today, in 1999, the Albanians of Kosovo are being persecuted by the Serbs. Surely it's time to cop ourselves on. Here in Ireland, we cannot afford to be racist towards travellers or political or economic refugees. Surely a well educated society can tolerate difference, can show some consideration.

When they first went to the US the emigrant Irish were considered the lowest of the low. We should know how it feels to be put down for who we are; we owe it to everyone to treat them as individuals and to show them some respect.

Alan Walsh, Ard Scoil Ris, Limerick

The media has portrayed underage drinkers as irresponsible thugs who go into a field, get plastered and throw up in a bush somewhere.

Who is to say a 16-year-old cannot enjoy one drink, then go home? Why is it that I cannot drink a pint yet I'm expected to decide my future? Soon I will be asked to choose my Leaving Cert subjects; choosing has a major effect on my choice of college course and, therefore, my future. By not choosing one subject I might disqualify myself from the course I desire.

So at 16 I must have a clear picture of my professional future, but I'm still told I can't drink a pint.

Write to media scope by posting your comments to Newspaper in the Classroom, The Irish Times, 11-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2, or faxing them to (01) 679 2789.

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media scope is a weekly media studies page for use in schools. Group rates and a special worksheet service are available: freephone 1-800-798884 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

media scope is edited by Harry Browne.