Voices

Voices is the Op-Ed and personal essay section of The Georgetown Voice. It features the real narratives of diverse students from nearly every corner on campus, seeking to tell some of the incredibly important and yet oft-unheard stories that affect life in and out of Georgetown.

Voices

An Iris by any other name would smell as sweet

Syllabus week is a wonderful time of reunions, reclaimed freedom from parental oppression, and a disregard for that thing that seems to pester us each morning (or early afternoon, for the less ambitious) — class. In the haze of first lectures and discussions, I always experience a syllabus week tradition of my own—my professors’ inevitable confusion as they stumble through my first name during roll call.

By February 10, 2011

Voices

Rite of passage ruined by continued decline of print media

It is said that smell is the sense most closely associated with one’s memory. It should be no surprise to me then, that whenever I read a newspaper, I am almost instantly brought back to my childhood, sitting in the kitchen, watching my dad read the newspaper. Along with the dusty smell of the paper, I can recall the smell of coffee brewing.

By the February 10, 2011

Voices

Theory is not flawless policy

We often hear the phrase “Georgetown bubble” used to describe the experience of students who seldom venture beyond M Street and Wisconsin Avenue except to watch the Hoyas play basketball at Verizon Center. To some, it suggests a heavy workload, to others, elitism. The term conjures an image of undergraduates safely ensconced behind the walls of Georgetown, reading the likes of Hobbes.

By February 10, 2011

Voices

Messages provide necessary link to home

My dad got a Droid for Christmas last year. I guess it was about time—he’s been toting around a five-pound Nokia since 1997—but it still kind of perplexes me that my 66-year-old father has a cooler phone than I do. I spent Christmas morning envying the sexagenarian as he sat next to the tree fandangling away on his touch screen.

By February 3, 2011

Voices

Phones are damaging English

Having grown up with instant messaging and texting, I don’t bat an eye at slang as diverse as “irlol” (or “in real life laugh out loud”) and “iucmd” (my friend Matt’s favorite, meaning “if you catch my drift”). Yet I was shocked a few weeks ago when my dad sent me a text message for the first time. It read “miss yu, yu have pro status as spanish tutor lv dad.” I had helped my 14-year-old brother Sam study for a Spanish exam over Christmas break, and it was nice to be informed he did well. However, I was more interested in those dropped vowels. I love my dad, but I don’t consider him to be the most culturally adept person. He uses email, but I’ve always found his communication there to be very precise. As recently as a few months ago my brother was still showing him how to open the text messages he had received, so I wasn’t prepared for his sudden embrace of text slang.

By February 3, 2011

Voices

Declining music sales require industry adaptation

You may or may not remember the band Cake, best known for a pair of novelty hits at the end of the ‘90s. But apparently someone does. The group’s latest album, Showroom of Compassion—released ten years after their last charting single (“Short Skirt, Long Jacket” got to 124 on the top 200) and 13 years since anyone thought they were relevant—hit number one on the Billboard charts last week. It was far from an impressive accomplishment, however: at just 44,000 units sold, Cake’s sixth album was the lowest-selling number one since the advent of SoundScan in 1991.

By February 3, 2011

Voices

Qatar student discovers treasures in Moroccan medina

Morocco, If you were a person, you would be one with multiple personalities. In the past two months, I have discovered your ethnic richness, multi-linguistic culture, and different moods. You can be the hottest person in the world and at times, the coldest, conservative, liberal and sometimes in-between. Most importantly, you have, in your own charming way, allowed me to explore your various characteristics in a series of epic adventures.

By February 3, 2011

Voices

Carrying On: Need for freedom of Twitter?

Once something is on the Internet, it’s there forever. From awkward pictures to secret government communiqués, the Internet has revolutionized the spread of information. Two summers ago, the Internet transformed the death of a young Iranian woman named Neda into “probably the most widely witnessed death in human history,” according to Time. Thanks to Twitter and YouTube, the unintentional martyr became a global symbol for the growing opposition to the oppressive Iranian regime. A mere decade ago, the death of a civilian in the chaotic streets of Tehran would have quickly become a statistic. Today, a photo shot on a cheap cell phone can crisscross the world in a matter of seconds, tweeted and re-tweeted across every national, lingual, and cultural boundary.

By January 27, 2011

Voices

The Golden Globes reveal the golden era of television

As I settled in to watch the 68th Golden Globes two Sundays ago—I was one of dozens who did so—I couldn’t help but notice an unusual occurrence. No, it wasn’t host Ricky Gervais’ scathing monologue, in which he told Johnny Depp that the trend of three-dimensions in movies applied to everything except the characters in The Tourist. Nor was it Robert De Niro’s awkward acceptance of a lifetime achievement award, which featured off-the-cuff immigration jokes and heavy silence from a crowd that is usually prone to courtesy laughs.

By January 27, 2011

Voices

Obamacare is not sufficient for frustrated future physician

For the last two years, Democrats and Republicans have drawn battle lines over health care reform. As a pre-med student, I look with dismay upon this current mess, but Tuesday’s State of the Union address offered an encouraging sign when Presdient Barack Obama indicated his willingness to consider the Republicans’ suggestion of medical malpractice reform.

By January 27, 2011

Voices

It’s all relative: Finding family in a Finnish playboy

When I was a young child, my older sister had a necklace with a bird on it that had been a gift from my father’s cousin. It was a small ceramic bird that whistled when you blew into its mouth. Throughout my childhood, this bird symbolized the mystery of my father’s rarely mentioned cousin. His name was Raimo, and he lived in the city of Turku, Finland making these bird-whistles that we saw in every crafts store during our summers in Scandinavia.

By January 27, 2011

Voices

Late bloomer close to realizing her gasoline fight dream

For most people, their sophomore year of high school was a time of sweet sixteen parties and the increased independence that came with learning how to drive. For me, it was the year I had no friends and watched Zoolander every weekend.

By January 20, 2011

Voices

Big Brother: Leo’s edition

The Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall is many things to many people. It is a study spot, a breeding ground for awkward situations, a prime observation point for Like A Little posts, and a veritable feast of subpar foods. Regardless of how students view Leo’s, it is one of the most familiar places on campus.

By January 20, 2011

Voices

A petition to the Academy on behalf of How to Train Your Dragon

I’ve never been big on award shows, nor do I consider myself a movie buff. I admit that I have made bets on Oscar ballots, but I would be willing to bet on anything, as long as I can make it a competition among my family or friends. This year, however, I plan on following the Academy Awards with as much passion as I bring to family-night Scattergories. How to Train Your Dragon, reeling from its defeat at the Golden Globes, will most likely go head to head with Toy Story 3 for Best Animated Film.

By the January 20, 2011

Voices

A student’s search for artifacts a century after rediscovery

I always imagine that great wonders in this world are discovered intact, uninhabited, and preserved. I imagined that American explorer Hiram Bingham stumbled upon Machu Picchu much like Disney explorers unearth El Dorado or Atlantis, but as I sat on a large stone slab—perhaps once monument to a priestly order or perhaps just a stone—I learned Bingham’s discovery of Machu Picchu was actually a rediscovery.

By January 20, 2011

Voices

Pooh preview delights, but fans will have to bear letdown

After watching only seconds of Disney’s new trailer for Winnie the Pooh, which features copious honey references, a so-depressed-it’s-kind-of-funny Eeyore, and as much nostalgia as possible, I looked into purchasing a ticket for opening night. Apparently the pre-order service is not provided six months in advance.

By December 9, 2010

Voices

Two of a kind? Born as a twin, living as an individual

One September day of my senior year in high school, my twin sister and I were riding the Metro when a stranger did a double take and walked over to where we were seated. Right on cue, he began rattling through the usual list of questions, and some new ones.

By December 9, 2010

Voices

Capitol punishment: Resume requires political betrayal

Last semester, like so many other Georgetown students eager to get their foot in the political door, I braved the Hill as a congressional intern. Although I was reluctant to sacrifice my class-free mornings and Friday afternoons, the prospect of observing the democratic process was too exciting to pass up.

By December 9, 2010

Voices

Carrying On: Compromising Values

Back in late 2004, when George W. Bush was poised to win a second presidential term and Barack Obama was still a lowly state representative campaigning for a Senate seat, you probably would have shrugged if anyone had asked you about the long-term fiscal position of the country. Everything seemed to be fine.

By December 9, 2010

Voices

Department of Public Safety, why do I feel so unsafe?

“I’m off duty in 15 minutes. You can fuck up your lives all you want after that.” That is not exactly what you would expect to hear from a Department of Public Safety officer on a Saturday night—yet I have. Underage partying and subsequent DPS party-busting are regular weekend activities at Georgetown.

By December 1, 2010