Schocking Opinions

For years, I have made it my duty to keep up with international issues and conflicts, especially the ones that do not get much American TV news airtime. One conflict in particular, that raging in the tiny island nation of Sri Lanka, has specifically kept my attention for a number of reasons.

For those of you who do not know much about Sri Lanka, I’ll start with a little history.

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Just when I thought my faith in humanity could not get any lower, I was mistaken.
After witnessing characters like Ashley Todd, who carved a backwards B into her face and made up a story about being attacked by an Obama supporter, to name one example, I thought there was no way that it could get worse.

And, then, I stood in line in the Common’s Café.

There’s nothing wrong with the Common’s. I love the pastries from Pomona’s, the decent coffee, the cold drinks in the coolers, the new smoothies—orange mango is the best—and the candy
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The problem lies with our own student body.

To my horror, on more than one occasion, I have seen students reach their little manicured fingers out while standing in line and take candy from the plastic bins. They’ll eat it and not pay for it.

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I’ve grown weary of attempts to generalize all of the United States of America into some sort of uniform group. It’s ridiculous to do so, it proves nothing, and it is a waste of time, energy and money.

Sometimes, these attempts to lump Americans and American citizens together come out of the best intentions. For instance, a class assignment may involve trying to discover a positive attribute Americans all possess.

Mostly, though, the efforts to stereotype and over-simplify American citizens are done out of convenience, ignorance or malevolence.

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Recently, I’ve been feeling like a piece of meat. Hacked off from the human slab of professional flesh and thrown on a plate for ready consumption, I am little more than steak, now.

And, it’s difficult to feel like filet mignon.

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Walking across our campus, I have noticed a disturbing pattern in the truly shallowness of thought and conversation one encounters by accident.

Sure, it is not everyone, but it’s much more of this campus than is tolerable.

First of all, I have no problem with alcohol when taken in moderation. But, if I had a dollar for every time some random college student verbally fantasized about an upcoming drinking binge (on a weekday no less) in my vicinity—well, I would be able to pay for my tuition out of pocket.

Never mind how often I hear students baw about their hangovers in class the next morning, still stinking of liquor and shame.

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On January 27, Bruce Springsteen released his 16th major album “Working on a Dream.”

This album, a typical fusion of folk, heartland rock and lyrical poetry, is both an expected Springsteen creation and a surprise. The down-to-earth lyrics and anecdotes are emblematic of all of Springsteen’s major albums, especially the recent productions “Magic” and “The Rising.” However, much of the pain and darkness found in those albums, as well as in “Devils and Dust,” have been removed for the new CD. The political statements of “Magic” are gone, too, and what is left is a pure and American sentiment.

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I enjoy the National Football League to an extent. My team, The Eagles, came out of nowhere and fought just short of the Super Bowl this year. I was excited.

But, I’m not excited, anymore, even despite the fact that my favorite musician Bruce Springsteen will be playing the halftime show.

It’s not because the Eagles lost, or because I have a lot of work to do—it’s because of the tremendous amount of money and energy that goes into the event. This money could go to so many more helpful things, especially in times like these.

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In the days that follow the inauguration of our new President, there are things we, as people of and visiting this country, should consider.

We should consider unity. We should consider the things that contribute to unity among the different types of people that inhabit this land. We should consider the things that work against that unity: the divisiveness that comes out of ignorance, hate, and fear.

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I’ve been in the print journalism business for five and a half years. I worked for a local newspaper in high school, and for the entirety of my time at this college, I have been a columnist and Opinions editor. Over the years, I’ve spent more time and energy than would seem possible adding to and developing my resume.

It doesn’t look like any of that will matter.

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Let’s tell a Christmas story, shall we?

Once upon a time in a land far, far away—we’ll call this land “Valley Stream, NY”—a great congregation gathered.

The people assembled in droves outside the church, waiting as early as the night before for entry. They mingled, and they drew closer to the door. They could hardly wait to get inside.

Finally, what luck! The church sent a parishioner to the door to let the congregation in.

They pushed through, flooding into the building—and they knocked the man down. They even broke the doors off the hinges. By the thousands, they poured in, pushing to the back of the place to lay greasy fingers on discounted toys, appliances and gadgets.

But, it wasn’t a church, was it?

It was a Wal-Mart.

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I watched the congressional hearings from representatives of the three big car companies on Wednesday. Chrysler, GM and Ford made their pleas for a government-backed bailout. They outlined their goals and their plans and their need for money.

I don’t think they should get what they want.

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Not everyone is going to love this movie.

In fact, I am quite sure that many of the people inside the theater at the Majestic’s premiere showing of “Religulous” did not enjoy this movie. I am certain that many of you will not even tolerate this movie. In the spirit of rebellion, however, I must say that I absolutely adored this movie.

Regardless of the reaction, everyone should see this film.

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I was so happy to see Obama win. Beyond all the obvious reasons to trust in him, such as his policies on the economy and healthcare, I believe he will be progressive in civil and human rights issues, and I know that his triumph is historic. In an Obama administration, I hope to feel protected.

But, much of my joy at seeing his victory is gone, now. It was taken from me and from many Americans with just a few hundred votes.

I am speaking of the recent passing of Proposition 8 in California, as well as of similar propositions in Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas.

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There’s been a lot of talk of this Joe the Plumber guy. The McCain camp has attempted to utilize this man, who, it turns out, is a rather unsavory character, as a means by which to connect to the working class and, moreover, to try and get back in the ring with Obama.

Let me begin with a little background on this guy.

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“I need to move. I need to wake up. I need to change. I need to shake up. I need to speak out. Something’s got to break up. I’ve been asleep, and I need to wake up, now…”

These words come from the Academy Award winning song “I Need to Wake Up” by Melissa Etheridge. She won for best soundtrack song for Al Gore’s global warming movie “An Inconvenient Truth.”

The sentiment expressed in this wonderful song applies very strongly to the central point of this column: voting is great, but if you vote without being informed, I would rather you stayed home.

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My columns as of late have been a little tame. In the absence of any overly strong opinions to work with, I went for an informative approach, instead. Not this time. Oh, no.

This time, it’s on.

Tuesday night, a friend and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal at Ping’s. We had both been working very hard as of late, so a little sushi and some crispy eggplant were in order. My friends and I are regulars at Ping’s, as well as at several other restaurants in town. The waitresses and staff are all really nice, and they treat us very well.

Upon sitting down for our meal, however, it slowly became clear that the two girls (and because of their immaturity they will retain the epithet “girls”) in the booth nearby were horrible human beings.

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We’ve all heard the hustle and bustle about green products, green living, green eating, green everything. Normal grocery stores such as Giant are adding whole aisles of organic and “green” foods. Businesses like Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) and others all across the country are going green, and new, greener inventions are popping up everywhere.

It is incredibly difficult to fully escape the green insurgency, and it may just be useless to try. I would argue, however, that it is important to embrace this trend for a number of reasons.

Regardless of whether or not you believe that global warming exists, and though I do, I will not make that point here, there are plenty of reasons why utilizing and buying green products and services is good for you.

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We are only a few weeks into the semester, and already I am seeing first-years with too much stress and anxiety. It’s not even time for midterms, yet! CALM DOWN; your friendly neighborhood Opinions Editor is here to help.

Are classes going rough? Is money tight? Did you sign up for too many clubs/take on too many responsibilities? Are you already having relationship troubles or dorm drama?

Breathe. Slow down and stop for a moment.

There are many ways that you can relieve your stress and learn to manage your responsibilities, and there is no reason why you even have to do it alone. (Trust me, I have far too many responsibilities, myself, and drama follows me around like the plague.)

The following are a few ways to manage/relieve stress and anxiety, and maybe even kill some of that homesickness, too.

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It occurred to me, as I pondered the current state of this country between my shower and breakfast, that we have a funny way of discussing Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) rights around election time. Strange words are thrown around, people take things personally (often rightfully so), and everyone gets angry or hurt.

You see, the GLBT community talks about GLBT rights all the time, and, surely, I have contributed to this as often as possible. However, and this was the case in the 2004 Presidential Election particularly, these issues seem to come to light most often when we are facing a potential change in America’s highest office.

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Over the years, I have made it my mission to advocate for the oppressed. I write columns about homophobia, sexism, ablism, racism, war-torn countries, genocide—you name it. It was during this past summer, however, that I realized I missed a few.

I somehow managed to find myself in the midst of a “Nanny 911” marathon on the ABC Family television network. During a commercial break, I was introduced to a new program called “Samurai Girl,” as part of their campaign “A New Kind of Family.”

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