The Occidental Weekly

The 2008 election saw the political process's entry into the 21st century. After years of lagging behind technology, campaigns finally seized full advantage of new resources available. Web sites featured new levels of interactivity, YouTube transformed into a center for advertising, and the Internet became the most trusted source of political news. With the unprecedented level of technology in this race, gone are the days in which politicians debated the merits of an international "series of tubes." The government is embracing the new wave of technology, and though this will undoubtedly introduce new issues, it is for the best that the White House progresses.… Post the First Comment

I used to lament the decline of handwritten notes and personal conversations whose importance in our lives has been usurped by that of e-mails and voicemail. Now I lament the decline of normal phone calls, largely replaced by frenzied text messaging, and a time when handheld PDAs permeate the classroom environment.

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This past Sunday, a member of the Oxy community declared to a group of students that he did indeed vote "yes" on the now-infamous Proposition 8. Yet, he is no cold-hearted bigot insidiously bent on ruining the lives of an entire community; in fact, I have always known him to be a giving, compassionate person whose position in the Oxy community involves being a champion of human rights. Indeed, every single person I know who has admitted to voting "yes" on Proposition 8 is an equally compassionate, loving human being absolutely devoid of the "H8" with which the anti-Prop 8 rhetoric has associated them.

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Several weeks ago, I went to see the movie Religulous. Before the three hours of previews started up, I found myself in for a special treat.

Kid Rock suddenly appeared on screen and informed me, through a music video called "Warrior," that a) the Army National Guard is badass as hell and b) that they must be in dire need of new recruits.

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The election of Barack Obama was surely a historic moment in our country's history. Major newspapers declared that the last racial barriers had come crashing down in what the New York Times called a "national catharsis." However, on Nov. 4, I watched something else come crashing down: the last foundations holding up race-based affirmative action.

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There's a billboard in Hollywood that poses the question of whether it's better to be a rock star or movie star. Well, what of those who try to be both? There have been many who've tried to walk this line and try their hands at both careers. It's been a mixed bag of talent. In fact, recently Beyonce has said that she'd like to play Wonder Woman and Joaquin Phoenix has announced that he's giving up film to focus on music. There is a small percentage of people who can pull off this double duty, but most others fail at their attempted second talent. A brief preface: for simplicity's sake, I shall not look at actor-singers like Barbara Streisand and Fred Astaire because they are well known as double threats.

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I love cereal. Before I came to Oxy, I would use up half a gallon of milk in only a couple days. But since I came to Oxy for the first time this August, I have yet to eat a single bowl of cereal. Why? I'm lactose intolerant, and I can't stand cereal with soymilk.

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I enjoy talking about religion because it's a topic I find very interesting, but here are a few reasons why Yennaedo Balloo's article irritated me:

You analyze the experiences you have had with a "myriad" of atheists on campus and project those feelings on the rest of the atheist population. Numerous times you say things like "most atheists are such because…" or "its no wonder most atheists are…" Quit pretending that you know how most atheists feel just because you've talked to a few on campus. You are making unfounded generalizations based on a limited number of personal experiences.

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Zach's critique of the articles concerning political diversity (Letters to the Editor 11/19) was well-articulated and incisive yet it only reinforced my belief in the lack of diverse political thought at Oxy. In addressing the narrow differences between the two major political parties, Zach points to "the Peace and Freedom Party, Socialist Party USA, Communist Party USA, the Green Party, and the Workers World Party" as other political parties that we should consider. Notice that this includes only left-of-center parties and neglects to mention even one right-of-center party such as the Constitution Party or Libertarian Party. It's true that political diversity is not limited to the two major parties, but the point is that at Oxy political thought is dominated by left-of-center political ideology in general.

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Aidan Lewis' article, "A Look at Bush's Final Days" shows us a dangerous possibility in current politics and trend of history in general. Saying that it is "in everyone's best interests to let Bush off the proverbial hook" illustrates this seemingly benign, yet insidious method of thinking.

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Oxy's interest in diversity can hardly be debated and while I support its attempt to expose its students to various cultures, I found last Wednesday's quad performance of Brazilian street dancers very uninformative. Not only was I initially unsure of which culture the barely clad women represented, but I also found the unchoreographed ass and boob shaking inappropriate. While watching the performance and talking with friends about what we learned from the show, my friend Victor half-jokingly stated "I want to buy a ticket to Belize." The inaccuracy of his comment clearly indicated a void in the exhibitions attempt to increase cultural awareness of that particular country. While I appreciate the attempt at an entertainment component for diversity week, I do have an issue with Oxy spending its money, on performances of that nature without regard to the bigger picture. I'm not saying the unique approach to conveying diversity was itself inappropriate; however it was ineffective for anything other than a good show. As a student representing another event in the quad that same day, whose activities were obviously aimed at educating the student body, I felt the performance undermined the integrity of the college.… Post the First Comment

We would like to take the time to thank and say goodbye to our Editor-in-Chief, Yennaedo Yoga "Detroit" Balloo. We were guided throughout the semester by Balloo's charismatic leadership, which he mixed with fierce dedication to his staff. Balloo has become one of our dearest friends, and we are proud to have worked under him.

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