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

Falun Gong-a path to one’s true self

Perhaps you’ve seen me sitting out on Healy Lawn, with legs crossed and eyes closed in peaceful meditation amidst the hustle and bustle of the early afternoon. So what is this meditation practice? Is it tai chi? Yoga? Why do I practice it? Actually, this practice is called Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa), and my reasons for practicing it are much deeper than mere stress relief and peace of mind.

By the January 24, 2002

Voices

Idle days in Richmond

Austin Powers: “Two things scare me. One is nuclear war.”

Basil Exposition: “What’s the other?”

Austin Powers: “Excuse me?”

Basil Exposition: “What’s the other thing that scares you?”

Austin Powers: “Carnies. Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage.

By the January 17, 2002

Voices

A new message …

“Writing an article ? “

I just put that away message up.

“Writing an article ? “

That should get a huge response. I mean, the brilliance of it, the sheer splendor of the wit. It’s amazing. It really is. Writing an article ?

It’s got that simplistic beauty to it.

By the January 17, 2002

Voices

The gambler

“Writing an article ? “

I just put that away message up.

“Writing an article ? “

That should get a huge response. I mean, the brilliance of it, the sheer splendor of the wit. It’s amazing. It really is. Writing an article ?

It’s got that simplistic beauty to it.

By the January 17, 2002

Voices

The smallpox threat

For centuries, the smallpox virus remained one of the most dreaded and deadly diseases to plague mankind. It is a virus that infected and killed the most privileged in society, such as King Louis XV of France, as well as the poorest populations around the globe.

By the January 17, 2002

Voices

Tommy Girl

I swore off Tommy Girl because the scent caused me great humiliation?romantic humiliation?my sophomore year of high school. It was during the last 10 minutes of a varsity basketball game at my school when the embarrassing incident took place. Knowing that my Romantic Interest had left the gym for a Sprite, I made the stragetic decision to walk across the gym floor, towards the girls’ bathroom?the intersection was precise.

By the January 10, 2002

Voices

A dangerous train of thought

I saw them as soon as I sat down. They were just one row in front of me and across the aisle. South Asian, maybe? Pakistani? They spoke in hushed voices in a language I couldn’t readily identify. What I could hear of their whispers didn’t sound like Arabic but might have been Pashto or Dari or Urdu.

By the January 10, 2002

Voices

A funny thing happened during finals

Maybe it’s a trite opening, but I’m going to use it anyway. I had an interesting week.

It started last year (OK, so it was in 2001, but I figure it’s a more exciting intro if I say last year?gives it that sort of historical flavor).

I had been dating a girl from Duke, whom I’d met while interning at the State Department over the summer.

By the January 10, 2002

Voices

A different holiday homecoming

I think I realized I had changed somewhere outside of Dallas, speeding towards Kansas City about 30,000 feet above the earth. As I sat wedged between a nicely-dressed businessman and a college student from George Washington University, I attempted to sleep but could not avoid overhearing their conversation about this student’s first semester away from home.

By the January 10, 2002

Voices

I need a hit off the old tube

I am an unabashed TV snob. For three years now, I have been that guy who, in response to inquiries on West Wing or quips about The Weakest Link coolly shoots back a disenchanted, “I don’t really watch TV.” I only turn on the idiot box to take in the latest in world news or the occasional highbrow film.

By the December 6, 2001

Voices

I’m already dead

Don’t cry for me; I’m already dead.

Well, no, I can’t back that up. But while I might not be dead, many of my movements are.

You see, I, like you, came to Georgetown with the intention of overthrowing the administration with a cadre of well-trained, stealthy and loyal commandoes.

By the December 6, 2001

Voices

Here I go again on my own

I am 22. On Oct. 14, 2000, I turned 21 and became able to legally drink in the United States. On Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2000, I experienced my first ‘80s night at the Tombs. Wednesdays are now one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. This might have something to do with the fact that I don’t have classes on Thursday or Friday, but that is beside the point for now.

By the December 6, 2001

Voices

Unexpected lessons

Unlike many of my peers, I am not a member of the Catholic Church. Also unlike many of my peers, Georgetown’s Catholic identity had no bearing on my decision to study here?I came to Georgetown because I wanted to pursue a degree in American Studies in the nation’s capital, and Georgetown provided the opportunity for me to do so.

By the December 6, 2001

Voices

Revenge of the bourgeoisie

My burgeoning liberalism is having a tough time compromising itself with my general distaste for the masses. I want to reach out to people, to help people, to appreciate their woes. But this is hard, because they keep pissing me off.

People are idiots, and they smell.

By the November 29, 2001

Voices

True story

Nov. 28, 2001: Two officers with the Georgetown University Depart-ment of Public Safety issued citations today to students who were riding their bikes near the Reiss Science building. Students who did not get off their bikes and walk were stopped and lectured.

By the November 29, 2001

Voices

How should an American act now?

The battle in Afghanistan is almost over, though maybe the war on terrorism has just begun. I felt relieved with the major victories this week, hoping the United Nations could go back and give aid to those who are in desperate need of it. I’ve heard however that in some parts of Afghanistan it is already too late, that many thousands have died.

By the November 29, 2001

Voices

Don’t fuck with free speech

I walked into my high school freshman English class. I noticed no one else had arrived yet, and I turned toward the black board. My eyes widened as I noticed that someone had written, in large capital letters, “FUCK,” across the length of the board.

Embarrassed by this “naughty” word prominently displayed for all to see, I scurried over and erased the profanity.

By the November 29, 2001

Voices

Late mourning in New York

The American Airlines crash in Rockaway, Queens is terrible because it killed hundreds of innocent people. The attacks on the World Trade Center are terrible because they killed thousands of people and threatened the safety and security of all Americans. Which is worse?

The answer is that they are different; one is not the “better” tragedy.

By the November 15, 2001

Voices

The hidden cost of study abroad

Ten months ago, almost to the day, I got on a plane bound for Paris, France. I was spending the semester there in hopes of improving my French and acquiring a Givenchy wardrobe like Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. I went abroad because I had to and because I knew it would be good for me.

By the November 15, 2001

Voices

Can’t touch this

This past weekend, I had the great opportunity of attending the Gloria Steinem Leadership Institute at the University of North Carolina. If the name of the event was not cause enough for chagrin, thanks to my right-wing neighbors, the troubles I met on my way down certainly added fuel to the fire.

By the November 15, 2001