12 | PERSPECTIVES
www.theloquitur.com
Friday, Nov. 19, 2004
Again the Heartland ‘Tis the season to spend money underestimated BONNIE CLOSSEY GUEST WRITER
BMC724@CABRINI.EDU
GIA DIGIMINIANI GUEST WRITER
I think those of us living in the Northeast underestimate the power of America’s Heartland. Yet it is they who have decided the outcome of the last two presidential elections. We think everyone’s like us, that America is covered with the suburban sprall of housing developments and shopping malls from sea to shining sea. That’s not the case. Even the media slants to representing the Northeast. Most of the popular television shows and movies are set in New York City. Would the TV show “Friends” have been as popular if Ross, Rachel and company were hanging out at a Waffle House in Tennessee? We living in John Kerry’s blue states (Northeast, West coast, Great Lakes area) voted with such issues in mind as the economy, health care and education. A good deal of George W. Bush’s red states (Midwest, South) are farmers. They’re not concerned about being laid-off or having their jobs sent overseas, as we are in the blue states. Many other issues effecting urban areas also don’t resonate with them. Morality was the key issue in how the Heartland voted in this election. They didn’t so much care about the campaign issues, but are really happy that President Bush says he reads the Bible every day and doesn’t drink alcohol. Call me cynical, but I don’t believe that President Bush actually reads the Bible everyday, though I believe he says that to impress his red state constituency. Who says that Bush is a more moral person than Kerry any-
how? Kerry isn’t such a bad guy. He was an altar boy and even saved the life of a fellow soldier in Vietnam. Yet the red states have the perception that Bush was the moral candidate for some reason. Could the Democratic party still carry the stigma of Bill Clinton’s indecretion with a White House intern? Heartland voters also don’t like the idea of gay marriage. I’m all for gay marriage. Why not let gay people be just as miserable as the straight people, I say. Plus, divorce lawyers will surely be happy for the additional revenue. I hate to sound like a city slicker condemning these Godfearing, hardworking people who save me the trouble of growing and killing my own food. Thanks to them, I’m allowed to live my fantasy that meat comes from the supermarket wrapped in styrofoam and clear plastic. I just realize that those in the Heartland have different lives and values – and thereby voting choices – from mine. It’s easier to ignore urban issues the farther away you live from an urban area. However, I now feel like I’m just along for the ride because the Heartland is obviously calling the shots in this country. They did in the 2000 presidential election and again in 2004. We live in a country of divided interests, and it seems that we in the blue states do not have much of a voice right now. I suppose it’s somewhat appropriate that a country founded by people seeking freedom from religious persecution still hold religion in such high regard during a presidential election. But have the once persecuted now become the persecutioners?
From now until Dec. 1 WYBF will be collecting much -needed supplies to send th 250 •die rs in Iraq an A~~~·-"· ~
t
Coffee Hot Plate Can openers
a personal note or letter to the soldiers
For more information go to the Events page at -www. -wybf.coni
Yes, it will soon be that time of the year again. The snow will blanket the earth, families will gather together to celebrate the holiday season and dollar bills will fly out of our wallets quicker than we can put them in there. The holiday season means different things to different people. To some, it is the time to embrace the religious importance of this time of year. Others enjoy the time off from school or work. Yet it is becoming increasingly more and more apparent that most people are thinking about
just what to buy for those important people in their lives. Generally speaking, college students’ wallets are not usually overflowing with extra money. However, we still recognize that it is important to buy gifts for our families and friends to show our appreciation for them. Many students hold part-time jobs in addition to being a full-time student and it is necessary to be watchful of our spending. But is the day after Halloween too soon to begin to think about Christmas? Department stores and other businesses seem to have forgotten the holiday that comes after Halloween and before Christmas. The spotlight that once
beamed on congregating together for the Thanksgiving holiday is slowly dimming and we are already hearing Christmas carols in stores and on local radio stations. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season and the stress that goes along with it is more pressure that we are going to be faced with. This season is filled with joy and beauty, and the focus should be kept on that; not concentrated on the profits department stores and toy stores can make. I encourage all of you to sit back and enjoy the majesty of the holiday season without all of the added stress. Embrace this time of the year. Fa la la la la la la la.
‘Girls: don’t waste the pretty’ LAURA VAN DE PETTE STAFF WRITER LCV722@CABRINI.EDU
Do you know that guy in my life and probably in your life? Come on, you know him! He’s that guy who’s so tired from work, so stressed about the project he’s working on. He’s just been through an awful breakup and it’s really hitting him hard. He just got a new apartment and the move is a bitch. As soon as it all calms down he’ll call. He’s the same guy who keeps me up all night wondering. It is 4 a.m. and I find myself tossing and turning in my bunk-bed, my sheets are tangled all around me, my roommates are snoring, the clock keeps ticking and the deafening silence is nauseating. The silence fuels the hamster wheel that is spinning out of control in my mind. I open my cell phone. No missed calls. This guy we all know has instigated the late night battle I seem to be fighting with my sheets. I remember the words of my favorite author, Greg Behrendt, “This man you all know is a man made up entirely of your excuses. And the minute you stop making excuses for him, he will completely disappear from your life.” Such a revelation hit me like a herd of elephants, the same herd that this guy would rather
0 C0
be trampled by than to tell me, “I’m just not that into you.” To calm my mind which is racing, struggling to find the reason why he hasn’t called yet, I shuffle out of bed and grab my favorite author’s book, “He’s Just Not That into You: The NoExcuses Truth to Understanding Guys.” Next to the HBO television series, “Sex and the City,” which Behrendt wrote for, this book should be every young girl’s bible. The essential credo is, “Girls, don’t waste the pretty.” In my exhausted state I began to really consider Behrendt’s philosophy. I know men love beer, football, fast cars and hot girls, but do I know when a man loves me? Nope. Not a clue. Behrendt made so much sense it was scary. He believes women need to understand a man’s physical actions to understand his thoughts. Behrendt said, “When a guy is into you, he lets you know it. He calls, he shows up, he wants to meet your friends, he can’t keep his hands off of you, and when it comes to sex, he’s more than overjoyed to oblige. I don’t care if he’s starting his job as the president of the United States the next morning, he’s coming up!” This startling truth opened my eyes wide and kept me questioning. One thing was for sure, I was not falling asleep anytime soon tonight. I was convinced; every college-attending female needs to read this book. I find it hard enough to balance classes, homework, jobs, meetings and friends everyday. And I have
h
found it is even harder when a committed relationship is tossed into the college mix. Hence the reason I am fixated on the ticking clock that now reads 5 a.m. Despite the tossing and turning, I keep reading. I was reading so fast, I nearly finished the entire book. By the time I reached the concluding chapter, I knew for myself, he’s just not that into me. If he were into me and into you, he would call. “Men find it very satisfying to get what they want. If a man wants you, he will find you and he will call. No matter how busy the day, he will call because men love getting what they want. And when a man wants you, a busy day will not stand in the way of a simple ‘Hello,’” Behrendt said. With that in mind I turned my cell phone off and stopped telepathically willing it to ring. I’m not “wasting the pretty,” anymore. By 6 a.m. I was exhausted, exhausted from the obvious truth I tried to ignore. “He’s just not that into me,” I repeated. The more I said it, the more I realized how easy it is to recognize the reality. Although I was exhausted, I felt empowered and in control. This was the best $12.99 I had ever spent. Who knew the real truth about dating was sitting on my night-stand the whole night? Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo’s “He’s just not that into you,” is a startling realty check that reminds all girls, “don’t waste the pretty.”
to riniColl