This is a commentary on hypocrisy.
I am guilty of it every time I eat at Collis and use some of their now individually-wrapped plastic utensils. I have been known to carry small amounts of garbage across the country to recycle it, I don't go anywhere without my recycling mug, and I never leave the water running when I brush my teeth or put shampoo in my hair. But when I am on the run, and Collis is the "restaurant du jour," I use and toss and keep on running.
And I know I am not alone.
How many of us who do not use the "Indian" as a symbol of Dartmouth stayed with New Dartmouth Bank when it became Shawmut?
How many of us validate our organizations by saying they offer opportunities to do community service -- and then don't participate in the event-per-term that is organized? Or participate in some aspect of Hunger Awareness Week, and then -- as at least two organizations do every year -- participate in a massive food fight and waste food which could and would have fed over 60 people. You know who you are. Does your community service make up for that kind of waste?
I despise hypocrisy. This is a dangerous thing to say; I have to reconsider everything I have done in the last year which has been hypocritical in the least. I know I block some things out. But to live what you believe seems to the point of believing in anything -- that's why I write columns, why I exercise and why I stay involved in what is going on around me. That's why I tell people I love them, and why I take chances. But it is also why I do more concrete things, like recycle and attend rallies that mean something.
People love to complain that they have been overlooked, or that "the system" or "the administration" did something wrong. Where are their letters to The Dartmouth; when did they make their viewpoints known to the dean; how can they blame someone else for their own failure to try and do something about it?
There are women who claim their sororities have nothing to do with the violence against women that takes place in the same fraternities they support with their dues when the houses cosponsor a party -- in that fraternity. They will even claim that their houses are supportive of women -- after those women are selected through the rush process.
There are many conservatives who would like to -- and who paid a woman to -- denounce feminism because of the extremists in its ranks, or because it is "based on" false statistics. Do the words "right-wing Christian fundamentalists" and "Rush Limbaugh" mean anything to them?
On the other hand, there are "feminists" who participate in tearing down the women who speak out on their behalf for the sake of agreeing with men who are doing so.
Ever bought a Fruitopia? I myself prefer water or plain old juice, but I buy one every now and then because I believe in the antiracist, give-peace-a-chance ideas they market with their beverages. It makes me feel like I did something constructive with my dollar, and a little extra sugar never hurt anybody.
On the other hand, I still cannot bring myself to eat at Carl's Jr., knowing that the company makes large donations to anti-choice organizations.
Individually-wrapped anything is a nightmare, if you value clean air and what wildlife remains. So is junk-mail.
It seems like a tiny gesture -- carrying a bottle one more block to recycle it, or choosing one brand-name over another. But these are the actions that, on a grand scale, actually make a difference. What if we withdrew our support from Shawmut Bank? It might not stay in Hanover. If we donated that big meal to charity instead of throwing it at each other, 60 people would eat a solid meal.
It comes down to one, tiny little question: what do you believe in?
