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Volume CXXXII, Number 8 |
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Drunken disrespect
Vomit in the first-year bathrooms, toilet paper in Chamberlain, trash in Thorne. Halloween weekend exemplified a continuous trend of "I'm drunk and don't give a fuck." While Bowdoin students claim to be progressively minded, many seem to forget this when the Natural Ice is tapped.
Last semester, after a night of reveling, students in Moore dorm shut down a stairwell by building a wall out of wood paneling. The next morning, confused peers and annoyed firemen were forced to deal with the problem. This example, coupled with countless others reveal an explicit disrespect for staff members and personnel
It is easy to dismiss one role of wet paper towel strewn across the hallway of Chamberlain Dorm, but in reality it is immature and self-righteous. But even this has become a weekly ritual. To think that one's time and effort is more valuable than another's is unreasonable. Every week, no tour of a dorm can be made without seeing dried-up vomit in the sink, on the floor, in the shower.
In the cafeteria, students entertain themselves by throwing fistfuls of food at friends or leaving half-full trays on the table. Thorne's staff, those working on a Saturday night are inevitably responsible for messes they did not create. While Bowdoin employees are paid for their work, it is not a per-instance income.
Everyone believes they are conscious, sympathetic individuals, but when no one's looking, many act like spoiled, rich kids. It is inadequate to assume that someone is too drunk to know what he or she did, and more likely that at the time they just didn't care. There shouldn't be any confusion over the humor in food-fights or puke-and-runs: there is none.
"Drink responsibly" doesn't apply only to driving.