The Bowdoin Orient

A meager two days after the release of the (in)famous NAS Report, I settled into a seat towards the back of Smith Auditorium to watch Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.” The film—second of Tarantino’s revenge fantasies—follows the adventures of a slave-turned-bounty hunter, who is seeking to find and recover his wife after the two of them were sold to separate plantation owners at a Greenville slave auction. 

Most of the film—in my own opinion at least—addresses a single, pointed issue: the issue of black masculinity in America. It did so by meditating on stereotypes of black physicality. At one point, a suggestion is made to call a certain slave-fighter “Black Hercules.” Certainly, the film’s overall plot—Django’s (Jaime Foxx) quest to find his wife—offers abundant references to contemporary prejudices and realities of black family life. Another riveting aspect of the movie—Samuel Jackson’s unsettling performance as the consummate “Uncle Tom”—forces us to think about slavery’s legacy of African-American powerlessness. And, finally, there is a blood-chilling scene where Django is nearly emasculated (literally) before a fateful interruption. 

Once again, I contend that the central theme of the film is black masculinity. What intrigues me about this inference, however, is the fact that a mere three years ago I would not have had the requisite vocabulary to come to this conclusion. I would have been bereft of the discussions and the coursework and the ruminations that give the idea of “black masculinity” any substantive meaning for me today. It is this broadening of my interests, my sensitivity and my ability to ask questions that I believe forms one pole of Bowdoin’s academic offerings. 

I must begin this article with two prefatory remarks:

Our democratic, capitalistic, (pseudo) meritocratic way of life is seriously imperfect. That’s right, I said it. 

When I say imperfect, I am not suggesting that there are improvements we can make. I do not mean to propose alterations to the size and scope of regulations. I am not even critiquing the functioning of our markets; I, for the purposes of this article, want to call their very existence into question.

That’s right, the story of a fake online romance has transcended the fall from grace of a cancer-surviving, world-champion American hero.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve counted three pieces that have appeared in the opinion section of the Orient addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After (at least) three years of radio silence on this issue, it has been a relief to discover that Bowdoin is as normal as every other college—at least insofar as its students can be gripped by this issue. And the conversation should continue—it’s time to add a little spice to this mezze table.

“We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe.” So proclaimed our victorious president early Wednesday morning after winning re-election. This was certainly not the first time Obama turned such a phrase. In his famous “Yes We Can” speech after a startling loss in the New Hampshire primary, then Senator Obama intoned:

Can extinguished love be rekindled? Can disgruntled lovers reconcile? On November 6, we will find out.

Clicking through Bowdoin’s recently reformatted website, I have been struck by three things. First and foremost is the fact that the background picture changes every time the page is refreshed. Need a ploy to procrastinate? Keep shuffling through background pics until you arrive at professor Paul Franco and his (probably bioluminescent) white mane. Wait—this doesn’t strike you as awesome? Fine.

If you see a terrified person walking around the Bowdoin campus, it’s probably a first year or a senior. The first years have no idea what they’re going to do in this place; the seniors have no idea what they’re going to do once they leave.

The question of how young American Jews will relate to Israel in their adulthood is one that haunts the thoughts and plans of many older American Jews.

There were two major developments over this winter break. Both the Republican Party and the "Bowdoin Hello" were put on notice. Now, as a dedicated Bowdoin student and an avid politics junkie, the prospective retirement of these two institutional staples has me scrambling to figure out what happened.

Over the last year, the repercussions of what Marxian political economists might call the "neo-liberal regime," have started coming home to roost. An economic issue that has laid dormant for decades is stretching its arms, rubbing the sleep out of its eyes, and even contemplating getting out of bed. That issue is income inequality.

Ostensibly, the Bowdoin campus is sexually liberated. Matters of sex are discussed freely with first years at orientation, conversations and lectures about sex are frequent during the semester, and perhaps most importantly, bowls of condoms sit in the hallways and stairwells of most Bowdoin dormitories.

In 1973, Maine held its first election that permitted same-day registration. For the first time in the state's history, citizens were able to make their way over to the polling booth, register, and then vote—all in one fell swoop.

"That's so college." What a phrase—it recalls stories of all that's good and wild about college: all nighters, crappy light beer and sexilings.

Dear President Mills, My name is Judah Isseroff and I am a junior at Bowdoin. In my two years here, I've been able to watch you from a distance. On nice days in the autumn and spring, it has been rare to not see you strolling the grounds of the picturesque Bowdoin Quad, asking questions and doling out nods and smiles.

While election season seems far off, possible Republican challengers to President Barack Obama have already begun posturing for the 2012 election. President Obama's term in office has been disastrous for the economy. His administration has not effectively lowered unemployment and has contributed to the explosion of the national deficit. The stimulus bill and Obamacare have both been tremendous failures, costing far too much and distancing America from its core free market principles. At this point, I have found it essentially impossible to disagree with the Republicans on these points. It's indisputable; Obama needs to go.

Earlier this week, we were all introduced to the course catalogue for the upcoming fall semester. Typical reactions ranged from euphoria to apathy to disappointment to murderous rage. Essentially, the usual. For many of us, course registration is a pretty stressful time. It is one of those few, distillable, landmark moments where we actually have to contemplate and direct the appropriate subsequent steps in our education. Nearly all of us are concerned with choosing classes that will assist in the completion or unearthing of prospective majors. Some of us are struggling to remember why we chose a certain major to begin with; others are preparing to mutiny against the departments in which they are currently housed; and still others, somehow, are struggling to fulfill the tiny number of unobtrusive distribution requirements that Bowdoin mandates.

In a speech given Monday night, President Obama attempted to clarify his philosophy on military intervention. He laid out what the United States has done to this point in Libya and then attempted to respond to his innumerable critics by explaining his rationale for American intervention. In doing so, the president showed himself to be a man of strong conviction. To begin with, President Obama lauded our troops for effectively stopping the progress of Qaddafi's forces.

Three weeks ago, I wrote a column encouraging students to stay on campus rather than go abroad during their junior year. As expected, I took a good deal of flak. Consequently, I was wary last week of writing an article that might further diminish my standing in the eyes of Bowdoin students. In particular, I was hesitant to pen an article touting the virtues of the program known as "Meatless Mondays." Ultimately, I abstained from writing an op-ed altogether in last week's edition of this storied publication. So much for that approach. The general sentiment expressed in Bowdoin's uproarious reaction to last Monday's dinner has confused and humored me.

According to the Bowdoin website, over half of the College's students have studied abroad by the time they graduate. That statistic tells me a whole number of things. Mostly, it says that the college is blessed with a crazy abundance of resources. As a sophomore, I have spent much of this year listening to my friends talk excitedly about their plans to go abroad next year. The different cities they mention are intoxicating enough to make me dizzy. I've heard plans to go to Tel-Aviv, London, Buenos Aires, Paris, and even (perhaps unwisely) Cairo. There is no questioning the allure of these cities and the countless others that my classmates will be flying off to next year. They will provide the opportunity for incredible language immersion and cultural education.

Although I tend to doubt that anyone reads this column, I would imagine that if you are reading this article you probably have uttered an impetuous word or two in your life that you regret. You might even have taken a few actions that you would rescind if possible. My apologies for the inane rhetorical commentary, but my point is that human beings tend to get caught up. Sometimes, we lose control. In those instances, our emotions overwhelm our rational thinking.

East Coast liberal arts colleges are often ridiculed for their disconnect from the opinions and experiences of mainstream American society. For the most part, this critique—which certainly contains Bowdoin College in its crosshairs—is a fair one that many students and faculty at the College should pay attention to. Simply put, the quality of life that we enjoy at Bowdoin is unparalleled virtually anywhere else in the world. The consequences of this luxury are varied.

On Tuesday, November 2, the American electorate engaged in its ritual cleansing. They chased more than 60 Democrats from the House and another six from the Senate. Power changed hands yet again in this country's government. And once again, the incoming party is promising to set up a utopia and the outgoing party is cackling at what will be the inevitable failure of its adversaries. Do you feel clean?

Tuesday, November 2 is Election Day. Pundits all over the country—and all over this campus—have been speculating and forecasting. Will the election be a referendum on President Obama? Is the Tea Party movement for real? Americans are angry. Again. They're mad at unemployment and deficits and, most of all, they are really, really mad at politicians. What are Americans going to do?