The conventional wisdom about Georgetown is simple: We’re a bunch of overambitious, self-important tools, willing to do anything to get ahead.
Jason Ryan (MSB ‘04) and John Menzel (CAS ‘04) don’t buy that for a second. As far as these two students are concerned, this campus should be every bit as laid-back, apathetic and downright indifferent as any other campus, and it’s this slacker Weltanschauung, bubbling under this campus like barely-restrained Mount St. Helens, that Ryan and Menzel tapped with explosive success.
At the annual SAC fair two weeks ago, Ryan and Menzel debuted the Georgetown Nihilist Club, a new organization created, said Ryan, as “an expression of apathy.” The SAC fair, featuring dozens of clubs, sports and other sundry organizations full of bright-eyed go-getters, proved to be the perfect forum for the club’s anti-involvement views. “People get too involved and caught up in themselves,” Ryan said. “I haven’t found that many things to take seriously in life.”
The Nihilist Club’s virgin outing did encounter early obstacles. Initially setting up with the rest of the official SAC fair on Copley Lawn near the Healy Gates, Ryan and Menzel, who are not University-sponsored, were approached by SAC staff and asked to leave. After a heated argument, likely fueled by the text on Ryan’s custom T-shirt (which read “Fuck you, you fucking fucks”), the duo was forced out into the Red Square free speech zone, where they spoke freely all day. Later the same would-be thought police asked them if they were Nazis. Vehemently denying that notion, Ryan said “I know that both John and I have blue eyes and blond hair and were wearing black T-shirts, but let’s not jump to conclusions.”
Despite the drama, the Nihilist Club’s first outing was a great success. By the end of the day, 200 names were on the club’s list, including those of several cheerleaders, a DPS officer, Jack the Bulldog and a high-ranking GUSA official, each ranking the intensity of his or her nihilism on a scale ranging from “earth sucks” to “I just want an excuse to talk to the hot guys behind the table.” The pair even managed to catch the attention of the wife of Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), who had stopped by for an appearance at the College Democrats’ table. “She definitely looked at [the T-shirt] and stared at it for, like, 10 seconds,” claimed Ryan.
Ryan described himself and Menzel as only “moderately” nihilist. Rather than tow the “belief in nothing” party line, he espouses himself as a “neo-nihilist,” a philosophy he described thusly: “I haven’t found anything worth believing in yet, but I’m still optimistic.” The club has adopted the lion as its mascot, an animal prone to lying on the savannah all day, stopping only to eat and mate.
One pressing question remains: Why spend so much time, effort and money to espouse total apathy? Ryan conceded the point: “Yeah, but we’re not having any meetings.” Not even a free screening of The Big Lebowski? “You can do that on your own time.” He did admit the eventual possibility of a “nihilist barbecue.” But don’t hold your breath, said Ryan. “It’s going to take a couple months to muster up enough energy.”
