Throughout history, the people of the United States have always taken distinct sides and created struggle between groups. With eternal struggles - such as North vs. South and Budweiser vs. Miller, there is still one issue that remains supreme. That is the timeless debate between "Caddyshack" and "Animal House." On the surface, both movies are difficult to compare, due to their basic concept - the snobs verses the slobs. Each film has casts of top-notch comedians that ad-libbed many of the movies' key scenes. Even with all their similarities, "Caddyshack" comes out on top of this epic bout. "Animal House," in all of its greatness, is only a guide to how one should act in college. "Caddyshack" provides a guide for life's ups and downs, "which is nice." The characters of Danny Noonan, Ty Webb and Carl Spackler provide examples of how one should handle situations that develop during one's lifetime. Danny faces many of the same predicaments people face while growing up. We are always told we have to go to college, or we will end up "right in the lumber yard." Is this really the only path we have to take for our future? Wisdom provided by Ty Webb to Danny demonstrates the endless possibilities we have in this country. "This isn't Russia," we can do or be anything. The key is to keep your integrity strong, remain loyal to your friends and not be afraid to take a gamble. Ty demonstrates to viewers what it means to stay true to one's self. He does not become locked into the rat race of life or an image that others expect of him. I have always been told that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she plays golf. If a person cheats at golf, most likely he or she lies and cheats others. Ty has enough confidence in himself that he doesn't find it necessary to keep score but, rather, compares himself to other golfers only "by height." Carl Spackler is the most underestimated genius of the film. People think he is "an idiot or something, 'cause all (he) does is cut lawns for a living;" however, he fights his campaign against the gopher by using the ideas of Sun Tzu in the "Art Of War." Carl realizes in his battles against the elusive gopher that traditional means of fighting will not allow him to achieve his objective. "To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case, my enemy is a varmint." He falls back in retreat to use the gopher's allies against him - "the harmless squirrel and the friendly rabbit." Yes, in the end Carl might have destroyed the golf course by using too much plastic explosive, but I can bet the gopher will think twice before going up against Carl Spackler again. This issue can finally be put to rest after years of debate. My hope is that "Animal House" fans will finally realize that "Caddyshack" will always remain superior through the messages the film provides.

Brett King is a junior in political science. Please e-mail your comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.