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The Dartmouth
December 18, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth
Ben Gifford
The Setonian
Opinion

Gut Check

By Ben Gifford | October 23, 2008

In "Informed Enthusiasm," (Oct. 20), Peter Blair '12 picks up a gun intended for Dogmatism and aims it at Hope. Maybe I'm just a foolish and overly idealistic young'un, but to me the idea that it's somehow juvenile or ignorant to be markedly "enthused, energized, inspired" by a presidential candidate seems a bit ridiculous. I agree with Blair that it's dangerous to view "political figures as secular messiahs," even if he takes Obama's Superman reference completely out of context ("Context, Please," Oct.

The Setonian
Opinion

The Irony Curtain

By Ben Gifford | October 7, 2008

In one of my favorite Simpsons episodes, Homer -- after having a fortuitous run-in with an inflatable cow -- joins the music festival "Hullabalooza," where he tours as a sideshow act.

The Setonian
Opinion

Roe v. McPalin

By Ben Gifford | September 24, 2008

There are plenty of legitimate reasons for fearing a Palin-McCain White House: One would be John's unwavering confidence, despite the ongoing Wall Street bank-domino, that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" (of course, if by "the fundamentals of our economy," John really does mean "American workers," then I guess he's right -- but also an idiot). Another good reason to be scared of McPalin: Sarah's self-proclaimed foreign-policy credentials amount to her uncanny ability (and here I paraphrase) to "see Red people" from her backyard. However, despite these and others, there is one overarching reason why I am terrified of a Republican victory in the upcoming election: If Palin-McCain wins, chances are high that Roe v.

The Setonian
Opinion

Serve Yourself (Liberally)

By Ben Gifford | August 19, 2008

At the end of his most recent rant ("Consider This," August 15), Zachary Gottlieb '10 concludes that we Dartmouth students are "a bunch of jerks" who have supplied "no evidence to contradict" his belief that our campus is plagued by a "lack of consideration for property, academics and most importantly, people." Gottlieb's argument, which is reminiscent of his previous column's ("Passing the Buck," August 1) criticism of the average Dartmouth student's "numbing apathy", begins with the initial claim that we are all "self-serving, destructive people." This claim is later developed through the use of tragic, firsthand stories of Dartmouth's antisociality: In one, Gottlieb is unable to leave his row during a quiz because his classmates won't pull their legs in; in another, first-comers to a free-pizza event take whole pies, leaving subsequent pizza-hopefuls unsatiated. While there is truth to Gottlieb's argument -- the theft and vandalism that he denounces, as well as other unmentioned forms of abuse (both physical and emotional), are very real problems, even within our "Dartmouth bubble" -- he is misguided both in targeting the "self-serving" aspects of our student body's alleged personality, and in lumping these aspects together with the "destructive" ones.

The Setonian
Opinion

Abhorrent Entertainment?

By Ben Gifford | August 5, 2008

These are exciting times we live in: oil prices have hit staggering heights, multiple economies are standing on the brink of recession and our imminent Olympic host just can't seem to stop violating basic human rights. Despite the gravity of these international headlines, another highly-publicized event, admittedly of a different kind, has captivated me in recent days.

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