Reflections on a potpourri of issues
By Doug Hutton

Inspired in part by the Winston-Salem Journal and my utter inability to generate a single provocative topic for my column this week, this column represents morsels of information that will hopefully manufacture some variety of useful discussion. A far-fetched, utopian idea for a newspaper column, but here we go.

On the lack of political activism on campus – despite the fact that this student body created the Year of Unity and Hope: Pro Humanitate at Work as a byproduct of Sept. 11, there has yet to be an event that includes our students as participants. Every event brought the activism to us, instead of creating the activism for ourselves. The Debate-In, though a major event in its own right, was more a competition between sermonizing students than an activist response to an apocalyptic event. Try to remember the last time the College Republicans or College Democrats were effective in leading political discussion. Try to remember the last time someone challenged your political views. Try to remember the last time you voted. And we wonder why political activism is dead.

On Congress – when was the last time that 526 people said they were unanimous in protecting airline passengers but squabbled for days until the legislation was useless for the busiest travel days of the year? It’s almost comparable to tobacco companies acknowledging that cigarettes are dangerous but advertising on every billboard in the Carolinas. The label “Republican” or “Democrat” has tied the hands of those that realize they were elected to serve, not to argue. Honestly, I could care less whether airline security employees are federalized or not. I just want to know that the personnel sitting at the X-ray machine looking half-dazed can tell the difference between a lethal knife and a doggie biscuit.

On Bill O’Reilly and The O’Reilly Factor – you know a newscaster/journalist is good at the job when he strikes fear into Democrats and Republicans alike. Though his favorite targets are leftists making money off charities (sorry Jesse Jackson), he often catches conservatives stepping in the same mud of deceit and evasion. He isn’t hesitant to call someone on obvious discrepancies in their statements, nor is he shy is taking on public figureheads. Some interesting facts learned from watching his show – the Red Cross is not using all checks earmarked for Sept. 11 relief for that mission and there are actually two Sept. 11 funds under the auspices of one. It wasn’t Sept. 22 if I remember correctly.

On the value of a good book – in the midst of sifting through psychology and politics textbooks, I had forgotten the pleasure of just reading a novel for fun. Over the Thanksgiving break, I devoured Jim Lehrer’s The Last Debate faster than the turkey itself. Engrossed in the nuances of a finely crafted tale, I found myself neglecting homework for different words on another page. The last book that held my attention with such veracity was She’s Come Undone, Wally Lamb’s exposition on the psychological dissolution and rebuilding of the human soul. I know the genres of the two don’t quite fit, but the beauty of a book to capture reality with images on a page is magical.

On Harry Potter – who else can be an international superstar and not even exist? The movie was so faithful to the book that it took away from the movie being a unique work of art in its own right. And yes, it does show witchcraft, and for some reason some people cannot handle such fantasy. But we live in reality, where there is no track nine-and-three-quarters or an ability to talk to snakes. So let children have their fun and lose themselves in the mystical world of Hogwarts, if only for a few hours. Just make sure nothing starts levitating in your home soon afterwards.

On finals and Christmas vacation – within the next 10 days I will have lost more sleep than could ever possibly be made up, written more papers than could ever possibly be original and taken more tests than teachers wanted to grade. And when I arrive home, it will be like I never left; days later I will be back working in the same store with the same coworkers who will never graduate from college. Only then will I be thankful for the benefits of losing sleep, writing papers and taking tests. I can revel in the knowledge knowing that one day I will be their boss. It just takes a little time and effort.