Students’ wavering positions don’t suggest incoherence

Troy Appel told us in his Friday column that it’s time that Northwestern students “grow up” politically. Appel claimed that students “cannot be trusted for coherent positions on issues of the day.”

Appel took the most vocal examples of political activism at NU — protests at the start of the Iraq war and the “right” calling liberals “smelly tree huggers” — characterized them as incoherent and then generalized them to the rest of the student body. Those on the extreme left and extreme right represent a minority, and just because Appel views their opinions as incoherent, it doesn’t follow that all of NU lacks coherence.

Just because the rest of us are remaining silent on pressing issues, we are not apathetic or indifferent. Current events like the war in Iraq and the legality of abortion are highly complex issues, and from a cognitive standpoint it is difficult to maintain a stable position.

This does not justify the accusation that students cannot be trusted for an opinion. Students have the privilege and opportunity to focus on issues that matter, and your average NU student could probably give a more coherent position on a pressing issue than your average American. Appel should set his cynicism aside, stop generalizing and appreciate the power of the youth generation that he is part of.

Michael Wong

Weinberg junior

Headphones aren’t to blame

for NU’s antisocial campus

In response to Abby Wolbe’s Monday column, I would like to point out that she sounds like my mom. On family trips while trapped in a car with my parents arguing and my brother whining, I have used headphones to block out the noise. My mom always yells at me to take them off and tells me I’m being antisocial.

Perhaps I am, but when I wear headphones on the way to class it’s because I want to be distracted from my journey to the other side of campus in the freezing cold.

When I do see a friend I smile, wave or stop and say hi, but I don’t feel like I should have to stop and talk to every damn person I may recognize on Sheridan Road –especialy when I’m late for class.

Small talk is cheap and I prefer to stop and talk to a friend about the music they are listening to rather than ask, “How are you?” or “What class are you going to?”

Headphones can be used as a conversation starter, not a way of blocking out the world. And where did Wolbe get the idea that I’m an unhappy person just because I like to listen to music on the way to class?

If she is concerned about the antisocial tendencies on campus, maybe she should point her attention to the fact that every time you attend an NU party you see the same 50 faces. Most of those people stick to their cliques or drunkenly rub up against one another. Perhaps the NU night time social scene should be investigated, instead of people who need to take a long, boring walk in order to get to class on time.

Abby, stop sounding like my mother and let me just listen to my music!

Barbara Ruf

Weinberg sophomore

Bush-bashing propaganda doesn’t belong in classroom

OK, I get it. Northwestern is a liberal school. I was just wondering why every professor feels the need to bring up their views on President Bush at the most random times.

The only professor that I have ever had whose political views were the least bit masked taught a class on current politics. I found this odd because this was the only professor that had any credibility on the subject.

A class on Shakespeare has no relevance to the Republican Party, but sure enough at least once a quarter — from science to communication studies classes — I hear cracks about the Republicans. Mocking Bush once or twice I understand — even die-hard Republicans admit they have to take hits — but blatant public declarations are another subject. I’m not sure on which side of moderate I fall, but I doubt that Godfather Clinton was put up on the chopping block next to Brutus.

Stick to the subject, bring in current politics when relevant and realize that a learning institution is no place for propaganda. I get enough of that by those tools who pass things out by The Rock.

Marianne Herr

Communication junior