Editor,
Are you a professor to whom we must prove our knowledge? Are you an ever-inquisitive child waiting to be informed? Are you a girl at a party whom we feel we must impress with our education? Or are you being used as a vehicle by the pompous nouveau riche of the academic world?
I am referring to a March 2nd letter titled, "Our society's conflicts stem from early theme," though I am also glancing in the direction of the person who found it necessary to employ complicated physics equations in order to prove to Daily Lobo readers that vacuum cleaners are loud. Way to go.
It is obvious by the liberal use of exclamation marks that Jeremy Toulouse is thoroughly excited by his studies, as one very well should be, but I move to restrict such enthusiasm to the classroom, or to conversations with other political science majors, rather than to the Daily Lobo. The purpose of the Daily Lobo Opinion section is to publish a person's thoughts and opinions, not last week's homework.
The current state of society is not "in conflict over whether capitalism will sustain our existence if government regulation and redistribution of wealth will suffice." The majority of society does not know or care about American politics, especially not abstract possibilities. The current state of society is in more conflict over whether the couples on "Temptation Island" will stay together or be "torn apart" - by a pack of wild dogs, I hope.
I'm sure the true societal conflict does not matter to this student, however, because he is not writing to influence or inform society at large. He is writing to boost his self-esteem, to show that he knows something, has opinions (however platitudinous) and that he can write halfway intelligently about it.
He knows the phrase, "No taxation without representation," and the history behind it. He knows that affluent Anglo slave-owning males wrote the Constitution. He understands the paradox that early American ideals such as justice and equality were fought for by those who practiced quite the opposite. He knows that America in 2001 is quite different than America in 1787. He's obviously a diligent political science student - or at least someone who has read an elementary school history book.
Regardless of where your knowledge came from, Jeremy, you've proven that you know things, and I think that's great! Meet me for your congratulatory cookie - you earned it, kiddo!
Michela Dai Zovi
Arts and Sciences student
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