This is my last column and my editor told me to make it juicy. My definition of juicy is a little different from other people, but I’ll roll with it for the sake of obeying authority.
I follow the news and current events just as much as the next Medilldo. I get my NYTimes.com email updates and watch the news when it accidentally gets Tivo’ed instead of “The Bachelor.” I’ve been known to kick my sisters off of our home computer to check my e-mail, aka stare at People.com’s headlines. It’s important to me to form opinions about what’s going on in the world and engage in lively discourse about it, there is no doubting that. But in my heart of hearts, I know that there’s a time and a place to get on my soapbox and that most of the time, I would rather banter about the value of mayonnaise than health care reform.
When Woodrow Wilson became president nearly a century ago, he vowed to directly engage with the public to increase political awareness and debate. In his mind, the informed few created the opinions of thousands. He wanted a true democratic republic, one in which voters would turn out and cast their ballot based on the facts and their ideologies. When I think about our country today, I see leaps and bounds in progress according to Wilson’s wishes. Voter turnout may be lower, but the majority of people are aware, if not knowledgeable. Many may rely on Twitter or the Colbert Report for headlines, but their interest in the mediums signal some sort of political awareness. At the very least, people can discuss and debate and think, which cannot be replaced by any amount of Angry Birds games. Information is ours for the taking, and people are doing so at an alarming rate.
Over the course of this quarter, I’ve tried to share my thoughts and worldview without imposing any sort of organized philosophy. Most other columnists have used the opportunity as their chance to share their opinions and spark debate, and that’s great. Where would we be without demagogues that want to challenge status quo? I appreciate and admire them, but I’m not one of them. It’s not that I don’t know or don’t want to offend, it’s that my opinions and knowledge are constantly in flux and I wouldn’t want something I say as a 20-year-old college newspaper columnist to get thrown in my face somewhere down the line. So, to conclude my ninth and final column, I want to reiterate some themes that I’m pretty sure will last me a lifetime.
1. Do not allow unsolicited bare fingers touch anything on your plate of food: A few weeks ago, I expounded on the value of savoring food for flavor, not quality. I’m not the first – nor will I be the last – to realize that jacked-up prices don’t equate to the tastiest food. However, there are disturbing amounts of people out there that think they are perfectly entitled to your french fries without asking first. I will fight to the death on this issue, even if it makes me sound like part of the Heavyweights cast. It involves common courtesy and hygiene, things that cross-cut personal preferences.
2. Shoes and eyebrows are the windows to one’s soul: More than anything else, I believe this to be true. Size, shape and maintenance of each of these reveal volumes about personality and taste. I could engage in months-long discussions about the merits of thin versus thick eyebrows or the appropriate height of heels. Maybe these things won’t win me a Pulitzer, but they are some of the most interesting observations I make about people.
3. Everything is an accomplishment: No matter what or how much you know, make it count. If you find a few minutes out of a day to catch up on headlines, pat yourself on the back. If you know enough about the Petticoat Affair to get in a really heated argument, go for it. Never let someone devalue what you know and care about because every little thing you know makes up a big part of who you are. And with that, I bid you adieu.
Terri Pous is a Medill junior. She can be reached at [email protected].
