Stone Ridge October, 2009
World News
Editorial: The End of Ettiquette in America? Alex Gangitano Editor-in-Chief
As a Sacred Heart girl, I have
come to find that tradition is a fundamental aspect of my life at Stone Ridge. We may not always stop to think about traditions like Gouter, Ring Day, and Prize Day, but we know what they require frim us. Every established institution has a set of traditional values, but it is up to the members of that institution to uphold them. Recent events crossing different parameters of American news have made me question whether the people involved have any idea of what a tradition entails. These people show that they simply do not adhere to the values of their respective institutions. And these incidents have made citizens question, have we reached the end of etiquette in America? In politics, Republican congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina felt the need to respond to Obama’s statement that healthcare would be denied to illegal immigrants with, “You lie!” This outburst not only interrupted the President, but it also did so in the middle of a national address to Congress. The British Parliament allows for statements from the audience, but speeches to US Congress were never a “call- and- response” forum. So why is it acceptable now? According to my government book (Magleby’s Government by the People), as members
of Congress become more and more attached to their careers, old norms of behavior are abandoned. Two of these norms are the ‘norm of apprenticeship’, that people wait their turn to speak, and the ‘norm of courtesy,’ which is to never criticize anyone personally. Is an attachment to one’s occupation an excuse to ignore the rules surrounding that occupation? What provokes someone, who is clearly aware of the acceptable actions and “norms” of Congress, to perform such a disrespectful act? My only answer to this question: etiquette in America is dwindling. During the US Open, a respected female American athlete, Serena Williams, reacted to a referee call with an outbreak of anger. The call was, as Williams described, an unfair foot call. But her response to the call is what I consider unfair, as she is quoted as saying, “I swear to God I’m... going to take this ball and shove it down your... throat, you hear that?” This statement is simply rude and unnecessary, but one must also take into consideration that she made it during a professional tennis match, which appeared on millions of televisions across the country. Tennis players hold a certain composure, differing greatly from the accepted composure of an ice hockey player, and Serena Wil-
liams has been a tennis player for long enough to know this. She knows that cursing, yelling, and even questioning a call in any way that is less than polite is unacceptable. So why did she do it? Etiquette is just not on our to- do- lists these days. Finally, Kanye West shocked viewers of the 2009 MTV Music Awards by taking the microphone away from Taylor Swift as she accepted her award. The MTV Music Awards is understandably more relaxed than an award show such as the Grammys or Oscars, but an award is an award. Taylor Swift won best female music video and Kanye West felt the need to make a statement, saying that Beyonce had the greatest video of all time. He took advantage of his position as a celebrity and felt that his self- serving opinion should be known, no matter when or where. When someone accepts an award, doesn’t he or she deserve the respect of everyone else? West denied Swift of this respect, and simply did not have the right to do so. What provokes someone to not only disrespect the system, but also disrespect a fellow artist, and person? Etiquette… it barely exists these days. And so my fellow Americans, that leaves us with a challenge: bring back etiquette.
Invisible Children are Visible at Stone Ridge Elana Gambon Journalism Club
Invisible Children, a group
at Stone Ridge dedicated to helping end the war in Uganda, has taken off and become one of the most influential student-run social justice groups in the school. As a new group last year, it had many successes, including the bracelet campaign and benefit dinner that featured the Invisible Children Roadies. I interviewed the group’s leader, Cynthia Betubiza, to find out what makes this cause so important to her and thousands of other students. Cynthia stated, “I wanted to reconcile the detachment I felt from my Ugandan culture.” Cynthia initially hoped that focusing on this humanitarian issue would bring her closer to her roots, but
hend Joseph Kony. Such a feat is impressive considering the movement is almost entirely run and advocated by young adults. Cynthia suggests that the support base of students and kids is one of the reasons the movement as a whole is so successful. “There is an assumption that the American youth is very apathetic, but I completely disagree with that…seeing other kids your age being so passionate gives you the desire to take action.” So, what is ahead for Invisiblechildren.com soon realized that it was much Stone Ridge’s Invisible more important then her own Children group? The search for identity. It was a fight for main objective will continue to be human dignity that was getting surprisraising as much awareness as posingly no attention from the world. sible. There will be a few key events “The war could go on forever including another benefit dinner with and Americans’ lives would not be the Invisible Children Roadies on changed…so it’s never in the newsNovember 17th. Cynthia says that her papers or on the television,” Cynthia chief goal is to have the entire school states. This shocking reality has watch the original Invisible Children prompted students and kids to take a stand and speak out about the injustice, forcing the adult community and international governments to pay attention. One event organized by Invisible Children, named “How it Ends,” even prompted the creation of a bill that aims at formulating a plan to appre-
video. It’s only a small step, but it is the buildup of those small steps that ultimately makes a difference. (Note: Invisible Children meetings are on Friday’s during break)
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CONTINUED TUITION State schools in California re-
port that, due to budget cuts, they will be accepting fewer applicants. However, other colleges have reported that in order to even reach enrollment goals, they will be increasing the number of accepted applicants this year. In addition to tuition increases, students can expect an increase in class size at most colleges and universities around the country. In an effort to cut back, colleges are forced to cut staff jobs. This means there are fewer teachers and more students, resulting in larger classes. They can also expect fewer course options for the 2010-2011 school year because of the cuts schools are making in programs. The current state of the economy is causing many families to agonize over how they will pay for their children’s college education. We can only hope that the Obama administration’s plan will lighten the burden placed upon many families and provide more students with the opportunity to pursue higher education.
Quick News Lindy Firstenberg
Assistant Sports Editor
1.
Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize (10.09.09).
2.
Dow Jones (a collection of stocks that will give you a sense of the market) started at 14,000 precrash and dropped to 6,600. It is now back to 10,000. (Signs that the market and the economy are looking up.)
3.
Pakistan Army offensive starts against the Taliban (10.15.09).
4.
Republican Senator Snowe, from Maine, supported President Obama’s Health Care Bill allowing it to pass through the Senate Finance Committee. 5. Representative Joe Cribson has received more funding ($2.7 million) for his senate bid after screaming, “You Lie!” during President Obama’s address to Congress. 6. Joe Biden’s son, Beau, who is the Attorney General of Delaware, is likely to run for his father’s senate seat. 7. Swine Flu vaccine shots start (week of 10.12.09). 8. In CO: a 6-year-old boy floated off in a homemade helium balloon was found in a cardboard box in the family’s garage attic. (10.15.09). 9. Three runners died in the Detroit Marathon (10.18.09). 10. TLC is canceling “Jon & Kate Plus Eight” and suing John for breach of contract.