1) Stupid College Students
At my professors recommendation I read Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind. This put words to what I thought about most of the people I encountered when I was at Hampshire; that liberal students go to liberal colleges already knowing what they believe and encounter other equally liberal people and together they spend time explaining to each other why they agree with an already accepted point of view.
(I thought I was a liberal until I went to college)
I know I sound really self-righteous on the subject and I have a lot to learn, but I find myself getting frustrated by people for the same reasons I did in high school. A cult like mentality and an accepted canon that is the Ultimate Truth. But in high school, I opened my mouth about this and since I’ve gotten to college, I keep quiet. And now I’m anonymously writing about it on the Internet. Because I’m just so aware and all.
Anyway, moving on.
2) The Vagina Monologues
The goal of the Vagina Monolouges is to raise money to help stop violence against women. Skidmore is donating proceeds to the Rape Crisis Center. Its great that they are donating the money there, but they are helping people already affected by violence, they aren’t helping to STOP anything.
The audience of the Vagina Monologues is mostly women, because the content honestly alienates many men. Their problem, you say? Maybe so, but they aren’t seeing it, and even if they did, a ‘touching,’ pun not intended, performance of the vagina monologues isn’t going to stop a rapist. Furthermore, the Vagina Monologues are overdone, and are more a way of women to feel ‘empowered’ and ‘liberated.’ They should change their message/goal to donating money to women affected by violence. It’d as least be honest.
3) Snow, Snow Plowing, and Getting My Car Stuck
This is the most political issue of all!. Here’s why: The Albany area has recieved quite a lot of snow this year, more so then usual, even for Upstate NY. Because of this, Skidmore College has often had to hire outside help in order to clean walkways, parking lots, etc. However, the economy sucks right now, and Skidmore has a budget defecit. They really can’t afford to pay extra workers every time it snows. So, when there is only 2 inches of snow, they don’t bother cleaning the main parking lot. This is fine, you just park over the snow.
Except, over time, the snow melts a bit, gets packed down, re-freezes, etc, and basically turns into an annoying patch of ice. No problem to park over. Until it snows 14 inches and you have to dig your car out and your tire catches on the ice in just the right way so it won’t budge. That sucks. And its because Skidmore can’t afford to pay people to clean the parking lot every time it snows, because they have no money.
They have no money because the economy sucks.
The economy is a very political issue.
(And since I am a libertarian, this is the most important political issue of all, because it affects me)
QED
