Letters

THE POKEMON INVASION

"Kids fall in love with Pokemon because it presents youth as dignified and important, something young people desperately want." MILDRED VONHILDEGARDE Narrowsburg, N.Y.

Your article on the Pokemon craze [ARTS, Nov. 22] noted many of the reasons that children are drawn to this imaginary world of battling pocket monsters--the charm of the characters, the addictiveness of the game, the challenge of collecting the cards and a child's innate urge to acquire. But one of the most powerful aspects of this phenomenon is Ash, the hero of the TV series. He attains something real children yearn for--independence and control over relationships. Ash leaves home on the noble quest to become a Pokemon master. He achieves this by using his wits to capture superintelligent "pets" and training them to become obedient, skillful fighters. How many of us remember that as children, we wished we could tell our friends and family what to do without the risk of losing their love? MELISSA HAMILTON Peachtree City, Ga.

Pokemon-crazed youngsters should go to their closet and look at the Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles they never play with anymore. Then they'll see that they won't be using their Pokemon stuff in six months. Keep your money, kids. JEREMY REGULA Hudson, N.H.

For kids to idle away their time with this Pokemon nonsense is ludicrous. What good is there in it? The cards, the show, the game, the movie--where will it all end? It's sad to see youngsters in this advanced culture waste their time on something that will not benefit them later in life. It's ridiculous. CLINT HERSCHEL Bradenton, Fla.

I observed my niece and nephew, ages 7 and 8, as they played with their Pokemon cards with a neighborhood friend. Without knowing it, they were learning and developing some very important life skills--memory, math, spelling, vocabulary, negotiation, competition and teamwork. While there are less materialistic ways to acquire and develop these various skills, it was quite interesting to watch them play. KAREN ANN MILLER New Orleans

I'm convinced that your magazine is nothing more than an advertising outlet for your parent company, Time Warner. As the mother of young children exposed to the Pokemon craze, I read your cover anticipating reinforcement for or at least an explanation of whether my parental decision to limit Pokemon in my household was warranted. Instead, I read an article--or should I say advertisement--with little investigation into the influence such commercial games have on children. There seems to be a trend in your magazine to advertise upcoming Time Warner movie releases without much newsworthy information. MARY KAY BATTAGLIA Anchorage

Pokemon cannot possibly rub off negatively on the children who watch the show or movie. On your cover, you questioned, "For many kids it's now an addiction... Is it bad for them?" Pokemon, unlike so many other things, is a positive addiction. I would rather have my child fixated on Pokemon than getting into drugs, alcohol or vandalism. JOSH HAMERMAN Scotch Plains, N.J.

U.S. consumers have a rapacious appetite for products, especially imported ones. Children have an addiction to Pokemon, just as their parents have an insatiable appetite for foreign-made luxury cars. With such examples, how can our kids be expected to curb their wants? NICHOLAS J. GRECO Rockville, Md.

Looks as if Pokemon fever doesn't stop at any one place. In Korea a company that produces pastry snacks made a new product that includes character stickers from the Pokemon series. Kids here are very interested in collecting all 151 stickers--actually, obsessed is the word for it. I have seen so many uneaten pastries thrown away because youngsters buy the product just to get the sticker inside. Money and food are being wasted, and yet children aren't aware that they are doing anything wrong. HYUN JEE KIM, AGE 17 Seoul

Once upon a time, not so long ago, children grew up listening to fairy tales like Cinderella, with enchanted castles and Prince Charmings. And today we can see a lot of stressed-out adults and an increase of violence around the world. If that is what happened to the people raised on pleasant fairy tales, what will be the case with Pokemon fanatics? How will obsession with this game affect the generation of the 3rd millennium? ALEX O.R. DE LIMA Sao Paulo, Brazil

AMAZING ANIME

Thanks for covering not only Pokemon but also anime, the Japanese animated films that are made for theaters, TV and home video [ARTS, Nov. 22]. As every American fan knows, Japanese animation is an eclectic art form. Anime can look like anything: kiddie fare (Pokemon), teenage fantasies (Gundam), bittersweet romance (Maison Ikkoku) and cyberpunk (Armitage). Now that the characters of Princess Mononoke and Perfect Blue have come to American theaters, the rest of the world will finally discover what it means to be an otaku, or obsessive animaniac. American fandom will never be the same. LEE ZION Fair Oaks, Calif.

As a 33-year-old American who grew up unknowingly addicted to Japanimation (Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Speed Racer, Star Blazers, Battle of the Planets), I was pleased that you covered a topic near and dear to me. But the sad truth is that anime will never be fully appreciated in countries where limited imaginations restrict animation to a children's medium. Some of the best storytelling in the world continues to go unrecognized. In Japan, manga (graphic novels) and anime have long been recognized as important facets of modern Japanese culture. Now if only we could get better translations of the Japanese tales into other languages so that they are truer to the original stories. LISA HANNABACH Ichikawa, Japan

GATES' POINT OF VIEW

One statement made by Bill Gates in his talk with TIME [INTERVIEW, Nov. 22] clearly shows how the Microsoft Ceo thinks. When asked about giving computer makers the right to tailor the opening screen, Gates said, "That's like saying you have a product called TIME magazine, but one distributor gets to rip out ads, and another one rips out some articles and puts in new ones." Gates' logic in this case is faulty because of the metaphor he selected. The Windows operating system is akin to the printing press rather than to TIME magazine. How would TIME feel if there were one company that held a monopoly on the manufacture of printing presses, and that company felt it had a right to dictate what could and could not be printed on all "its" presses? Clearly, TIME and every other publisher would be upset. CHARLES C. CARO Tampa, Fla.

The fact that Gates muscled his way into acquiring immense monopolistic power is an indictment against the capitalist system of survival of the fittest. This economic system encourages the aggrandizement of wealth. It thrives on competition, profit, supply and demand. It is this system that gave Gates the driving force to compete, win and stay on top. How certain are we that free-market regulatory laws are clearly defined and easily understood? Perhaps it is time to take a second look at capitalism to ascertain how salubrious it really is. CHIBUEZE O. ELECHI Lagos

WHY NOT TEACH GENESIS?

Charles Krauthammer may be heading in the right direction in recommending the teaching of biblical fables in schools, but he didn't go far enough [ESSAY, Nov. 22]. I agree that Genesis should not replace evolution as a science, because it has nothing to do with science. I even agree that it should be taught in public schools, but only as comparative literature or in the context of other religious or mythological theories of creation. Even though the majority of students are Christian or Jewish, teaching only one religion would be offensive to children who do not share that faith. That's why the Bible isn't taught in schools in the first place. AJAX EASTMAN Baltimore, Md.

Krauthammer noted that biblical creation should be brought in through the front door of schools because of its "mythic grandeur and moral dimensions." He wrote, "If we can assign the Iliad and the Odyssey, we should be able to assign Genesis." I certainly agree with his comparison of Genesis with Homer's epic poems. All three belong in schools, and they should be clearly taught as works that combine fictionalized events with historic material. PHIL DOBBYN Reading, Mass.

RACIAL TENSIONS IN DECATUR

Re Jack E. White's article on the school dispute in Decatur, Ill., and the Rev. Jesse Jackson's intervention [DIVIDING LINE, Nov. 22]: Right-thinking people, black and white, should be able to see through Jackson's transparent motive when he gets involved and plays his familiar role of attempted intimidation. Jackson has never shrunk from an opportunity to create sensational headlines. He misjudged the Decatur school board. He expected them to roll over and fawn. What Jackson believes to be "unfair" is the possibility that six young men will be held accountable for their bad behavior. It would be unfair to every educator and student for these thugs to avoid the consequences of their actions. PEYTON LINGLE Darien, Ga.

What about the parents of the teens involved in the Decatur football-game brawl? Where were they? Until the black leaders of this country begin to hold themselves and the parents in the community responsible, the situation won't get better. This problem of responsibility permeates the fabric of our society. JACK COLLINS Livonia, Mich.

Say good night, Jesse! The collateral damage you have caused will be years in repairing. Photo ops, sound bites and a little fund raising have exacted a terrible cost from our community. ROGER D. SPURLOCK Decatur, Ill.

ALBRIGHT ON ARMS CONTROL

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is on target in saying that U.S. arms-control leadership is too important to risk in partisan fights [VIEWPOINT, Nov. 22]. However, in suggesting that the proposed National Missile Defense system could possibly deal with "potential threats from sources that are not rational," she is dabbling in the irrational. The only possible threat that might be thwarted by the limited NMD system (if everything worked perfectly) is a stray ballistic missile from some so-called rogue nation. The proposed NMD system would provide no defense at all against sea-launched cruise missiles, suitcase bombs or attack by chemical and biological weapons, and these are much more likely threats. The illusion of defense that NMD might provide would be more pork for Congress than protection for citizens. RICHARD K. HEACOCK JR. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Alaska Impact Fairbanks, Alaska

Rather than calling for a "consensus," Albright seems to think everyone should come over to her view on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. She stated, "We must put aside partisan distractions and work together now." Partisanship is not an intrinsically bad thing. There are two major political parties because people have legitimate differences of opinion. Within those differences, we ought to work for compromise. But it is hard to compromise when Albright writes that serious leaders in both parties should take her position. Her Viewpoint reflects what is wrong in the current partisan bickering. Instead of finding a middle road, she exalts her position as the sole right one. E. SCOTT JONES Shawnee, Okla.

GRAPE POWERS

I read your story on the antipodean wine industry with great interest [WORLD, Nov. 22]. I am a frequent visitor to Australia where I fell in love with its wines, and have for many years pursued this passion at home in the U.S. Most important in Britain has been the promotion of New World wines according to their varieties so drinkers can easily identify the types and staples of wine that appeal to them. Many arrogant European producers do not deign to inform the consumer what grapes go into their wines, with the consequent surprise (not always pleasant) for the drinker. Not all of us have the time to become experts, and the clarity and lack of pretension of Australian and New Zealand wines mean that drinkers are not made to feel stupid while having their pockets picked--as happens with many French wines. ANTHONY CONNELL Melbourne

The absence of a long winemaking tradition in Australia and New Zealand has left local vintners free to innovate while adopting the best techniques from the Old World. Years ago, France, Italy and Spain were also new wine-growing regions. Given the pace of change in oenology and consumer attitudes, perhaps within a few decades Australia and New Zealand could be giving the European winemakers a run for their money. RAYMOND GARDINER Southport, Australia

WHO'S WATCHING?

I was chilled to the bone when I read your article about ad networks, Web retailers and content sites being able to monitor one's habits on the Internet [BUSINESS, Nov. 22]. When I first went online early in 1995, I was aware that some of my privacy would be compromised. But now I wonder what will happen to us as we become more compartmentalized and end up relying more and more on computers in virtually every aspect of our lives. Today I sit cloaked in a grim sense of defeat. I feel myself staring blankly into my glaring monitor, mumbling in quavering tones, "Long live Big Brother." JANE WANKLIN London, Ont.

CORRECTIONS

In our Numbers feature [NOTEBOOK, Nov. 22], we incorrectly stated the revised height of Mount Everest. The correct figure is 29,035 ft. And since we got that figure wrong, the following number of how many Bill Bradleys it would take to top the new Everest was incorrect too. The right figure is 4,525. Also, we erred in our statement that 100 shares owned by the average hourly UPS worker would be worth $68,000 after trading on the first day the stock was available on the market. The correct value is $6,800.