Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Voices

This protest’s for you

Last weekend the traveling protest carnival arrived in D.C. again, and the preemptive analyses of Peter Hamby (Cultural Revolution, Jan. 16) and Scott Matthews (“I love sweatshops,” Jan. 16) were right—dead right. Their light-hearted and entirely uncontradictory essays in last week’s issue of the Voice truly provoked deep introspection amidst the activist community at Georgetown and struck a note of discord within the greater peace and anti-globalization movements, to whom the articles were mass e-mailed.

By the January 23, 2003

Voices

Losing it, whatever it is

The first movie that a friend of mine recalls watching as a child was a gay porn flick. Telling me this story, he remarked that while he had most likely been introduced to Sesame Street before John Holmes, puppets didn’t make quite the same impression. My friend described it as akin to watching Freud’s primal scene with a twist: He wakes up one night and goes over to his door, which is partly open.

By the January 23, 2003

Voices

I love sweatshops

I love capitalism. And sweatshops—nothing I can get behind more than the exploitation of those less fortunate so long as it saves me some money the next time I visit the Gap or Abercrombie or any of the other trendy, upscale clothing establishments that make me look like an individual (just like everyone else who shops there).

By the January 16, 2003

Voices

“Hey Georgetown, have another drink”

It was so nice to be back home, drinking Smirnoff in my friend’s bedroom while her parents slept downstairs. We bought the liquor with a fake ID, my little brother was lucky enough to be designated driver for the evening and we were playing lame drinking games.

By the January 16, 2003

Voices

Lost in the margin

Last Saturday, Illinois Governor George Ryan emptied the state’s death row, declaring the system “arbitrary and capricious—and therefore immoral.” Governor Ryan commuted 167 death sentences to life in prison. This bold move by the governor came at the conclusion of three years of study of the death penalty system in Illinois that was spurred on by the discovery of 13 innocent convicts in the state’s death row.

By the January 16, 2003

Editorials

Communication is security

When Jeremy Dorfman (CAS ‘06) took his own life late Saturday night, he left a campus not only in mourning but also in confusion. University administrators quickly released relevant facts and gathered support services for students and should be congratulated for their prompt response.

By the January 16, 2003

Editorials

Don’t forget about us

On Jan. 7, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Tom Birch was chosen to succeed Peter Pulsifer as Chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E, which includes Georgetown and Burleith. Birch will lead an ANC that would seem on first glance to be less student friendly.

By the January 16, 2003

Editorials

Dead men walking

The legacy of former Illinois Governor George Ryan will be difficult to determine. During his four-year term, Ryan switched from staunchly supporting capital punishment to become a key advocate of death penalty reform. Adding to this transformation was his announcement last weekend that he would empty Illinois’ death row.

By the January 16, 2003

Voices

You stir me up like mayonnaise

Despite all of its advantages, study abroad has the downside of imparting some annoying habits on its participants. Between ridiculous complaints that “I can’t remember what that word is in English” and attempts at adopting the baffling skirt-over-jeans look that is popular in some Latin American countries, it is clear that there are some habits that are better left abroad.

By the January 16, 2003

Editorials

We’re not in Kansas anymore

Though overall crime is down, theft from automobiles in Burleith and upper Georgetown has recently increased, and students comprise about 30 percent of those victimized, according to Lt. Brian Bray of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District. MPD’s biggest concern is the carelessness of residents and visitors who leave their cars unlocked or valuables visible.

By the January 9, 2003

Voices

thenightisortahadwitgod

Mommy told me to go into my cold room where the windows never close and simply concentrate on the inside of my eyelids with my hands slapped together. She told me to close my eyes as hard as I could so tears can gather in a tight place in my eyes. She told me to wait until the tears dripped at gaining speeds on my clasped hands just from my deep concentration.

By the January 9, 2003

Editorials

Too serious for tactics

On Tuesday, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill in Congress calling for the revival of the military draft. The proposed draft would apply to all men and women ages 18 to 26, with exemptions granted to high schoolers but not college students. Impaired persons would perform community service instead of military service.

By the January 9, 2003

Voices

Adventures in Legoland

In the classic screwball farce Airplane, Ted Striker has a drinking problem. Specifically, he has a problem getting the drink to his mouth. Similarly, I have a gambling problem. Don’t worry, mom and dad. I’m not going broke. The bets rarely rise higher than a $4 Vittles sandwich, maybe once in a while I bet lunch at the Tombs.

By the January 9, 2003

Voices

What do I know?

French has two verbs for “to know,” each with a different connotation. One verb means “to know” in the sense of knowing a fact. The other means the sense of “being familiar with.” In English, we have one verb and are left to find ways to distinguish between its shades of meaning.

By the January 9, 2003

Voices

First Amendment: freedom of business?

“Away in a sweatshop where no one can see, the immigrant seamstresses work constantly. Conditions are awful, the pay is absurd—the boss he will fire them if they say a word.” Our voices harmonized and we moved onto our second song: “God bless you wealthy men, good news I have to tell: The market’s up, you’re making more each time you buy and sell.

By the January 9, 2003

Voices

You know how I do … Holla!

Sup sup MTV! Welcome to my crib! This is where it’s at, down here in the dirty dirty, you know. I’m doing it! Wearing my robe, doing my thing! Now let me show you around. Come on in! OK, here’s the front hallway, you know. Got the Oriental rug goin’ on, got it down in Chinatown for like thirty dollars, you know, pee stains and shit, I’m keepin’ it real.

By the December 5, 2002

Editorials

This sanction is a sham

Two weeks ago, the parents of David Shick, a Georgetown student killed during an alcohol-fueled fight behind Lauinger Library in Feb. 2000, released the results of the University’s disciplinary hearing concerning his death. The “respondent,” the University adjudication system’s equivalent of a defendant, was found responsible, and was ordered to write a ten-page reflection paper and to serve a conditional suspension.

By the December 5, 2002

Voices

Letter to the Editor

The Nov. 14 issue of The Georgetown Voice published an article regarding the South Asian Society’s annual cultural show Rangila, “Rangila Expands its Focus.” Though the review’s overall positive assessment of the show is greatly appreciated, the article seems to highlight Rangila’s entertainment value while at the same time downplaying the show’s purpose as a forum of cultural exchange.

By the December 5, 2002

Editorials

One asinine law

The Supreme Court’s docket for the coming term will include a case that deals with two gay men convicted of sodomy in Texas. You may be surprised to learn that sodomy, generally defined as oral or anal sex between adults, is still illegal in 15 states. The Supreme Court ruled 16 years ago that states had a right to regulate “public morals” and upheld sodomy laws.

By the December 5, 2002

Voices

How to make your mom cry

There are times when I want to fall on my knees and give thanks that I’m not entrusted with teaching English to non-native speakers. The number of nuances in our language make me shudder at the prospect of this task. I would rather explain exceptions to grammatical rules 365 days a year, however, than be faced with the challenge of defining some of our more elusive words.

By the December 5, 2002