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Friday
The Maroon Tiger
Editorials
September 6, 2002 Page 10
The Starting Block
For her-this is where it all began
Saida Grundy
Senior Columnist
I talk too much. It's one
of those great faults that we
are all entitled to being re
minded of by parents, ri
vals, or those who we wish
did not so readily note our
shortcomings.
For the majority of my
twenty years I have been
talking; dispersing superflu
ous opinions upon anyone
so foolish as to lend an at
tentive ear.
To offer the claim that
"I can't help it" would be
fraudulent.
But to deny my passion
and coerce apologies on my
behalf... well, perhaps that
is a crime against myself
that I am unwilling to com
mit.
But a miraculous occa
sion occurred on the campus
of Morehouse College this
past autumn. The majesty of
the printed word was re
vealed to me when the ap
pearance of one article in
The Maroon Tiger [A Spelman
Sister Speaks of Tear, Novem
ber 2001] ignited a wildfire
of response.
The magnitude of at
tention yielded was not
nearly as captivating as the
idea that, while people can
choose to disregard and dis
tort the spoken word, that
which is printed enjoys a
form of immortality
uniquely its own. T
he printed word owns
its autonomy. It lures its
own discord and invites its
own allies. A writer, how
ever, must charge herself
with the courageous act of
attaching her name and
identity to that which she
has birthed. S
he subsequently sub
jects herself to what slings
and arrows may come in or
der to safeguard the integ
rity of her creation.
In my journey to the
position of Senior Colum
nist for The Maroon Tiger, I
have developed the utmost
respect for opinion writing
and other forms of outspo
ken journalism. Instead of
subscribing to elementary
tactics of exhausting my
lungs with the continuous
crusade of "converting"
those whose ideas stand in
defiant opposition to my
own, I now allow the battle
to be taken up with the
page. After all, the page can
not be interrupted.
A great mass of my
readers will perhaps never
undergo a complete renova
tion of their worldviews
simply because of a quick
glance over this column
while awaiting an afternoon
class. Unfortunately, I sur
rendered that fairy-tailed
notion long ago and opted
for satisfaction with any
dialogue this writing may
generate. Any dialogue is
good dialogue, I have always
said.
Maroon Tiger readers,
be assured that this journey
will be twofold. As you ac
cept the challenge to toil
over your own opinions, so
will I strive to remain con
scious of the irreversible
permanence of these words.
Each article will be accom
panied by mistakes, regrets,
and, hopefully, a willing
ness on both our parts to lis
ten. Perhaps our partner
ship will compel us to be
come more refined thinkers
and more active participants
in our own lives. The jour
ney on both sides of the
page, I trust, is paved with
good intentions. I'll just be
trying to write it all down.
Rantings of an angry black man
Every other week, Scott will tell us why he's mad
Scott Roberts
Associate Editor
Getting Verified. I go to
the caf and can't eat even
though my account is paid up
and I am confirmed. Why is
this? Because I am not verified.
First of all what is verified and
what is the difference between
verification and confirmation.
But having to get verified is not
what really bothers me. After
all, I am a senior and I am used
to the run around. What really
pissed me off is what hap
pened after I was sent away
from the caf at 4:30.
I immediately pro
ceeded to Archer Hall where I
was certain I would be verified
in a number of minutes. What
did I find there: not a willing
college employee, not even a
long line of frustrated brothers.
Instead I found nothing. The
doors were locked at 4:30 PM.
Now what does this mean. It
means I was unable to get in
the caf all weekend. It means
that somebod^ owes me about
20 dollars for all the food I had
to by this weekend. So if you
see Walter, tell him he better
have my money.
Sisters walking back to
Spelman alone. Call me a
hater or what ever you like but
if you can't walk her a block,
you are a boy, a punk, a weak
individual. She came to see
your sorry ass and you won't
even get up to walk her back.
This upsets me even more
when I think of the type of sis
ters who don't even look both
ered by this. To quote Christo
pher Wallace, "I guess they
hang with lame dudes too
much".
Littering. Since returning
for my senior year, I have no
ticed a significant increase in
littering on campus. Most of
the trash comes in the form of
flyers and usually plays out
like this: 1) flyer is handed to
student; 2) student reads flyer;
3) student drops flyer on the
ground no more than ten yards
away from a trash can.
Now, this makes me an
gry. Please allow me to tell you
why. Not only is this one of the
most significant historical sites
for Black Americans and the
burial site of men who dedi
cated their lives to the struggle
to educate our people but also,
we live here!!!
Why the hell would you
throw trash on your own yard?
I mean, take a little pride in
your community. I'm not ask
ing you to take every flyer back
to your room but you can walk
your lazy carcass over to a
trash can and dispose of it
properly.
What kind of man re
fuses to do that and chooses
instead to trash his own home.
And I don't want to hear any
bullshit about Morehouse al
ready paying someone to clean
SeeANGRYpage 12
The Maroon Tiger
Editorial Staff
James A. Britton
Editor in Chief
Hakim X
Managing Editor
Christian Nwachukwu, Jr.
Copy Editor
Colin Hosten
Campus News Editor
Antony D. Jewett
World & Local News Editor
David Yamall
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Jon-Sesrie Goff
Layout/Design Editor
Scott Roberts
Associate Editor
Rubani Trimiew
Features Editor
Demetrius Smith
Sports Editor
Jamie Swift
Photography Editor
Saida Grundy
SeniorColumnist
Ra’Shaud Haines
Business Manager
Jocelyn W. Jackson
Broderick McGrady
Andrew Vails
Advisors
Brian D. Phifer
Dean of Student Affairs and Conduct
The Maroon Tiger is published fifteen times during
the academic year at Morehouse College.
The Maroon Tiger maintains an independent edito
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solely the views of its staff and do not necessarily reflect
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roon Tiger. We believe all advertising to be correct but
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