A Little Divine Intervention

THE RIGHT ANGLE: A little divine intervention - Opinions

The average student's vocabulary, whether they realize it or not, is regularly infused with religious jargon. Some students "pray" for help on an exam, or claim a "miracle" would be needed to pass a certain class. And who hasn't exclaimed, "Thank GOD!" after receiving an A on a particularly hard paper?

A good number of students will never literally pray for a good grade, nor will they even realize that they are using terms such as these. But every now and then, something so coincidental and convenient happens that it can only be chalked up to divine intervention.

I learned this for myself last week. I had a paper due on a Thursday and, as is typical of me, I waited until the night before to start it. I already had a general idea of what I was going to focus on, so all I really needed to do was actually type the paper. Of course, I assumed that I had all the books I needed to complete the paper. And as luck would have it, I was wrong.

The majority of my paper focused on women in Biblical times, and I had planned to use several examples from the New Testament.

Unfortunately, I realized a little too late, that I did not have a Bible. Most people wouldn't see this as a real problem, as there are numerous online Bible sites that make it simple to find any verse on any subject in any part of the Bible. But I'm different. While I do have the ability to waste hours upon hours of my life reading blogs and other junk, I find it nearly impossible to read the Bible while on a computer monitor. Perhaps it has to do with my preference for the King James Version, which was clearly not written for the online age.

I struggled with an online Bible for hours before finally giving up. I decided that the next morning, I would wake up early, go to the library, and hope I had enough time to find a real Bible and finish the paper.

On my way to the library the next morning, an amazing thing happened: I ran into a Gideon. Now I know you've all seen them around campus at one time or another. They position themselves at high-traffic areas and hand out pocket-sized Bibles which conveniently contain the New Testament. As I was handed a Bible at 8am, I was still too asleep to realize what had just occurred. I continued walking to the library, went to the computer lab, sat down, and signed on before I actually realized what had happened. After spending several hours wishing for a Bible the previous night, I had simply been handed one on my way to finish the paper.

Now, when you're not a very religious person and you suddenly realize that there really MUST be someone out there watching out for you, it's a bit of an odd feeling. In fact, I spent the rest of the day with a sensation very similar to paranoia hanging over my head. But even more than that, I felt awe over what had happened to me. I am 100% sure that what happened to me was nothing short of divine intervention.

After turning my paper in, I walked around campus and thanked all of the Gideons for simply doing what they do. I was amazed at how many of them told me they had been treated badly simply for standing around handing out Bibles. The fact that anyone would berate a missionary for no good reason just sickens me.

I do not necessarily subscribe to the belief that UNCG needs preachers on every corner trying to save the souls of lost students, but that's not what these guys are doing. They're simply offering religious books for those interested. They do not force anyone to take these Bibles (I myself have turned them down several times over my four years at this school). They do not give you dirty looks for not taking their Bibles. As far as I can tell, they're criticized for giving religious literature to people who want them.

I admire the Gideons for putting up with this abuse for so long. They realize that every time they visit UNCG, they're going to be cursed and yelled at, yet they continue to come. Why? Because they realize that this could be the day they are able to reach out to just a few more people. Or maybe it's because they knew that one single college student had a need for some divine intervention.

Politi-chic: Pretending to Care is the New Fad

THE RIGHT ANGLE: Politi-chic - Opinions

I recently attended a Coldplay concert in Raleigh, and judging by the number of t-shirts I've seen around campus, a good portion of UNCG was there with me. Now, anyone who knows me can tell you that I absolutely can't stand entertainers who feel the need to share their political rants. I think Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, and Kanye West are all very talented performers, but they need to stop with the politics and stick with what they really know. Call me snobby, but if the most intelligent political statement you can make is "George Bush hates black people," then maybe you shouldn't be talking politics.

I turned down Incubus tickets AND Green Day tickets last year because there was no way I was going to sit through angry political rock-starish rants just weeks before the election. But I decided that Coldplay couldn't be too overly political, at least not at this time of the year.

For the most part, I was right. Aside from a lyrical song reference to New Orleans and lead singer Chris Martin's familiar faux-hand tattoo, politics stayed out of the spotlight. But it was still there, and it was all around me. For a long time, I had just assumed that the parallel lines on Martin's hand symbolized gay equality. That night, thanks to numerous fliers littering the ground and booths around the venue, I learned that he was actually advocating fair trade.

But aside from the band itself, there was the audience. Everyone around me was proudly sporting at least three of those ridiculous rubber bracelets. You know the ones I'm talking about - those stupid, annoyingly trendy bracelets. They pretty much have one for every cause you can dream up - all the cancers, AIDS, political affiliations, sports heroes, anti-war, pro-choice, impeach Bush, save the speckle-nosed grasshoppers, etc. Yeah, I know they've been around for a while, and I see them all the time, but never have I seen so many in one place. No exaggeration, the kids in front of me each had at least eight different bracelets apiece.

It's not seeing the bracelets that bothers me so much - seeing guys in pink polos with the collar popped disturbs me MUCH more - it's what they really stand for. While I do realize that every now and then, some of these people will buy one of these bracelets in order to stand up for something they really believe in, I do know that a lot of people get them because it's the cool new trend.

If every UNCG student that wore one of these bracelets actually got involved in something around campus, we'd have more activists than we'd know what to do with. But these bracelet-zombies aren't like that. They don't really want to do anything to save the whales; they just want to look like they care. After all, everyone else is doing it.

As I left the concert that night, there was a long line at the Fair Trade booth. Apparently, for a dollar donation, you could get a white rubber bracelet to symbolize your support of free trade! Wow, not only can you add another trendy bracelet to your collection, you too can be just like your favorite band!

I don't begrudge Chris Martin his support of fair trade, as it's obviously something he's very passionate about. But I'm fairly certain that 99% of the kids at that booth fighting for a bracelet couldn't tell you what "fair trade" even refers to. And that's probably what Martin and all the other politically-aware entertainers are counting on.

Making political causes trendy isn't really helping anyone, it's just annoying real activists like myself. So for our sakes, put the fashion away, roll up your sleeves, and actually try to make some changes in the world. After all, apathy was SO fifteen minutes ago.

The Anti-War Coalition Identity Crisis

THE RIGHT ANGLE: Anti-War Coalition Identity Crisis - Opinions

Someone up there has a really screwed-up sense of humor. And no, I'm not referring to heaven when I say "up there." I'm referring to the Office of Student Life.

Those of you that keep up with my online blog (link below) may have been shocked at a picture I posted a few weeks ago. I have actually been approached by students on campus asking if it was a joke, or an altered photo. Unfortunately the picture is one I snapped myself, and it is nothing more than a photo of the sign outside cubicle 225M in the EUC. Two campus organizations share an office here as of about a month ago: the College Republicans and the Anti-War Coalition.

I have this mental image of people in OSL getting bored over the summer and thinking this up. "Hey, know what we should do? Make the College Republicans share their office with the Anti-War Coalition! That'll be a good time..."

Since the College Republicans have occupied this space for years now, it is of course already decorated with American flags and Republican paraphernalia. For several weeks, no one heard or saw any sign of the Anti-War Coalition in 225M. And then one day, out of nowhere, a couple CRs found evidence of their cubicle-mates' existence: someone had tacked up a piece of paper that read, "This wall reserved for the AWC."

I had heard about this from several members, and finally went up to the office to check it out. A CR had cleared off the back wall that the other group had "reserved", and there was nothing but a "Bring Them Home" postcard hanging now. That is, of course, to be expected. I was fairly surprised, however, to find a pro-abortion flier taped to the top of the AWC's cabinet. The flier advertised an event being sponsored by the International Socialist Organization, although down at the bottom someone had scribbled, "Also sponsored by the Anti-War Coalition."

Now, THAT is interesting. I found myself wondering what war and abortion had in common, and why a group that was against one was very supportive of the other. I couldn't help but feel that the flier had been placed there to annoy the pro-life CRs. Why else would the Anti-War Coalition feel the need to co-sponsor an event on women's rights?

As I left the cubicle and started walking to the door, I glanced towards the Socialists' cubicle. Leaning half in and half out of their office was a large sign that read, "Join the Anti-War Coalition."

Last year, I met a girl that was in the AWC who got very annoyed when everyone just assumed she was a Socialist as well. But now I understand everyone's confusion - apparently, if you are anti-war, you must be anti-capitalism as well.

Now I'm torn, because I'm not sure what to believe. Either the AWC is just an offshoot of the ISO (who thought that maybe people wouldn't be quite as annoyed being harassed by them if they pretended to be two different groups), or they're proving my theory that liberals don't believe in a middle ground of any kind (i.e., if you're anti-war, you must subscribe to all other liberal theories as well). If that's the case, then no wonder the liberals think I'm crazy. After all, how can someone claim to be a Republican and still hold some of the liberal views that I do?

Then again, maybe the Socialists don't have such a bad idea. Maybe the College Republicans should start creating offshoot groups: the Pro-War Coalition, Students for Life, Second Amendment Supporters. Maybe then they'll have a chance to score extra office spaces as well.