Arguments by James McQuiston:
Since I have began my first year at DePauw, I have been a participant in many discussions of varying topics. Most of these I come out of with a new found understanding, or possibly even learning a new viewpoint on a seemingly dead issue. I feel, however, that neither of these common endings came out of discussions I held with two left-of-center freshmen.
One, happening over a month ago, dealt with the status of the homeless. We began discussion our future paths after graduation from either DePauw or graduate school, and I, with a miniscule amount of self-esteem, began detailing my future plot in life. This was to include sleeping in a gutter and dying before I was 40, but that has no bearing on the story except as a catalyst for the discussion that was to follow. Through some transitory statements, we delved into the philosophical nitty-gritty, being the worth of a homeless man or woman to society. I was naturally on the side of equality through humanity, and through a markedly different upbringing than I, went on a socioeconomic tract. A major point that I reiterated throughout the discussion was the inequality between this imaginary homeless person and my friend, a relatively comfortable girl from the suburbs. I had not expected the sheer animosity that I would receive for this theory, as she completely refuted this claim.
Just a few days ago, I was in discussion with another friend of mine, this time a person enrolled in DePauw exemplary School of Music. After haranguing her for her taste in music for a while, I started to drift into a philosophical discussion linking football players to musicians. Again, a friend of mine was not too thrilled with a theory that I had held to be true, but c?est la vie. Bringing up the point that both groups had to drill various instructions into their craniums, as well as practice a amazing amount of time during the day, I was greeted by an unmerited profanity. What I may have been unclear with her is the fact that I was not trying to bring musicians down but to bring the hard work and dedication of the football team and various other sports to the forefront.
If I can go out on a limb, and this is where I believe a firestorm of controversy will be brought up, is the simple fact that the common perception that classical music is a more erudite pursuit, while football is usually relegated to nothing more then proletariat drivel. This is due to the niche that each group must fulfill in the jumbled puzzle that is human life, and I would be more than happy to expound on any of my theories, which may be inquired about at [email protected]. Due to the space limitations, these theories lack many of the more important parallels that would provide a more clear-cut case.