Comment & Debate

I figured Bay Buchanan’s talk, “The Failures of Feminism,” would touch on issues that many CC students feel passionate about, but I did not expect the explosion of frustration, anger, and disrespect that erupted from those in attendance. Buchanan addressed what she saw as failures of feminism: high incidents of abortion, a hook-up culture that devalues personal relationships, and a sense of entitlement that values the desires of the individual over the needs of family. Much of what Buchanan said raised hisses, snickering, and cries of disbelief from the crowd.

As a resident of Manhattan who watched smoke rise from Ground Zero on September 11th, 2001, I remember the atmosphere in New York after the attacks pretty well. Sure, millions came together, but many took out their fear and anger on Muslims. Hate crimes against Arab New Yorkers soared in the wake of 9/11. Americans who wore turbans, spoke Arabic or looked Middle Eastern all-of-a-sudden feared for their safety.

Winston Churchill said once: “democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried.” Perhaps since the end of the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations, the whole world has taken this premise to be an unquestionable truth. After all, could anyone still believe in the goodness of authoritarian regimes after Mussolini’s massacres in Ethiopia, Hitler’s concentration camps, and Stalin and Mao’s ideological genocides?

A while ago, whilst perusing the internet, I came across a website I had never seen before. Emblazoned across the delightful rainbow colored webpage were the words “Queer By Choice”. This was the kind of website that is one step away from glitter graphics. It was wonderful to behold. I delved into the depths of this peculiar site and found that, according to the site, “Those of us who consider ourselves ‘queer by choice’ are true radicals.” I had no idea what to make of this. Queer by choice? I’d never heard of such a thing.

People who wish to smoke marijuana will smoke regardless of what you, or the government, think about it. When politicians decide to create and enforce laws to block the trade of marijuana, they contribute to the consumption problem. Yes, the more you fight against it, the bigger the problem will become. Prohibition creates a nasty and pointless cycle in which the countries that are geographically en route between producers and consumers experience the worst of both worlds.

In my native Senegal, given that only 50 percent of the population is literate, going to school is a privilege. For most Senegalese youngsters, attending school is a great opportunity to travel outside of the country and go study in the West in search of a better life. Despite my teenage dream that I was going to end up in France, given the colonial history of Senegal I ended up at a United World College in Italy, then in America.

There is a lot of opposition to Tim Tebow at C.C. Over the past few months, the second-year Denver Broncos quarterback has won the support of millions of people throughout Colorado and the nation, yet our campus remains a stronghold of anti-Tebow sentiment. As a newly converted fan, I am trying to understand why we are resistant, and if he would ever be able to change our minds.

At the end of last semester, The Catalyst published a deeply personal editorial submitted anonymously by someone who suffers anxiety and depression. Anonymous rightly criticized Colorado College’s approach to mental health problems and really struck the truth when he said, “Those with mental health disorders at C.C. live in fear. This entire community is not that understanding about issues that plague a great deal of this campus.”

Colorado College has violated federal statue by not reporting some sexual assaults for the 2010 calendar year. The campus security website’s crime statistics report for the 2010 calendar year indicates that 6 violent sexual assaults occurred on CC’s campus in that time. However, information released to students via The Office of Sexual Assault Response and Prevention (SARP) indicates that an additional 4 violent sexual assaults occurred in that time period that were not reported.

Illustration by Erick Nelson

Walking down town last Sunday night, I saw the remnants of the Occupy Colorado Springs entourage standing on the corner of Acacia Park with the white snow flailing in the chilling wind. I was going business to business, asking for donations for BreakOut’s volunteer leader dinner, just heading back to campus for a session of lifeguard training when I overheard, “…got all the money in the world…and look at that fancy bag…” It took me a moment to realize they were talking about me. Nearly paralyzed, I felt the air around me get warmer as the steam coming out of my ears heated it.

Illustration by Emily Spiegel

Jane Elliot once decided to teach her class a lesson. It would be a lesson of life and humanity- taught to third graders. Phillip Zimbardo, a world-renowned psychologist commented, “This was one of the most powerful demonstrations of all time. Look at the power of negative expectations, it’s ability to shape the reality of students.”

This extended edition of the Catalyst was published in tribute to our Editor-In-Chief of the past three years, Alex Kronman. Vehement feminist and incredibly dedicated newspaper captain, his tireless efforts in the service of student journalism have consistently inspired us to be better. Better writers. Better editors. Better journalists. Thank you, Alex.

Imagine looking to your left in class and seeing me, a smiling happy face participating in discussion, cracking jokes and being outgoing. What you don’t know about me is I suffer from anxiety, which makes me suffer from depression, which has made me suicidal.

I fear that suicide will happen again on this campus. The tragedy that struck us last year was one of the most terrible things that can happen to a community, and we dealt with it with strength. However, I am afraid we aren’t doing enough to prevent it from happening again.

In 2009, the creation of the Lingerie Football League, born out of the commercial success of the, “Lingerie Bowl,” a half-time show of women in skimpy outfits broadcasted during the half-time break in the NFL’s Super Bowl, sparked a lot of controversy.

As you sit there, pondering life, a thought comes to mind. “What is bisexual erasure?” I hear you ask. Well, I’m so glad you randomly join words together to make terms. Bisexual erasure is the tendency to disbelieve, remove, or deny bisexuality as a legitimate sexual orientation. Think about it. How many times have you encountered people who proclaim their bisexuality, and then swiftly dismissed them as people “on the path to real gayness”? I’ve done it; I don’t deny it. And in some cases, that turned out to be true. In more cases, it turned out that the person was legitimately bisexual.