It's amazing how Hollywood can convert disaster into dollars time and time again. James Cameron, the creator of Titanic turned the biggest ship and sea tragedy into the greatest money making film of all time — and didn't even have a moment to dedicate his windfall to the memory of those who perished. Just a minor oversight.

I acknowledge Titanic as one of the most technically advanced and visually awe inspiring films produced to date. Cameron's task in directing this film is in a league with the skills and organization required to run a small country — after all, Titanic's grosses thus far exceed the GNP of a small nation. But why would he choose to take a story chock full of amazing feats of heroism and tragedy, and instead create two fictional characters that are the main focus of the film?

Because Cameron and the two studios supporting this project knew what would really sell. Facts are for documentaries, they probably reasoned. With a heartthrob like Leonard DiCaprio playing the lead, they banked on a swooning teen audience coming to see one of the steamiest PG-13 films to date, and many left convinced that Jack and Rose (Kate Winslet) were as real as the frigid waters of that fateful night.

For the few who haven't seen the film, it contains unnecessary frontal female nudity, sexual intercourse complete with orgasmic comments, language I think would even offend the steerage class, and glamorization of gambling, drinking, and smoking.

Titanic has become the god of teendom, and I'd receive less mail if I criticized the Pope. But this god teaches that sex is something you should grasp when you get the moment — otherwise your ship may sink. In an opening scene, Rose now 101 years old, accuses an exploration crew that they just don't get the Titanic experience, but Cameron missed the boat too. Just like the crew he portrays in the film that are after Titanic's riches, this film has mined disaster for profit, and has thrown the sanctity of life and moral responsibility aside.