Allow me to break down the fourth wall a bit. The first column I wrote this semester was a response to an episode of the public radio program, "This American Life." This episode was titled "#1 Party School" and exposed State College's drinking culture/problem to the world. And in my response, I agreed wholeheartedly with their unabashed look at our destructive lifestyle.
While I received little to no feedback from fellow students, the response from current and past residents of State College was overwhelming. I was getting all sorts of e-mails from professors and town folk, congratulating me for being mature and taking a stand. Some were surprised that I would write a column supporting the episode because they were convinced that every student would be in complete opposition to the program's findings.
It was a weird feeling.
Have you ever raised your hand at the end of a class in order to remind the teacher they had forgotten to collect that day's assignment? And when the teacher says, "Oh, that's right! Please pass up today's homework," you suddenly realize that half of the class is glaring at you?
That's kind of what it felt like. But instead of screwing over a class of 30, I was screwing over a class of 40,000.
Sure it was nice to have the town residents on my side, but I felt like I was doing a disservice to my fellow students, like I was snitching and assuming this holier-than-thou attitude in the process.
In other words, I felt like a traitor. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but regardless, I'm here to make amends ... sort of.
While I certainly appreciate receiving positive feedback from the residents of State College, I must take issue with how most of the town folk handled, or mishandled, this issue of State Patty's Day.
Now, obviously we can all agree that State Patty's Day is a problem (see: Thursday's editorial). Anything that results in 160 arrests and more than 300 police calls in a single day is something that is inherently destructive and needs a solution fast.
But did you guys think that lambasting the holiday so strongly in the media, in rivaling Facebook groups and in e-mails written from college deans was a good idea?
This was the first year that there was an out-and-out battle, so to speak, between students and residents about the made-up holiday, and instead of deterring students from celebrating, it only fueled their fire.
The IFC sought to placate the naysayers of this event by placing a huge restriction on fraternity parties: 50 guests maximum and beer only. The Tavern Association made a big stink and made sure to let everyone know that there would be no State Patty's Day specials and that it would just be business as usual. Some bars even closed down completely.
Had all of this happened on its own -- without the aid of loud opposition -- then perhaps the results would have been more positive, as the deployment of these efforts would have been more subtle. But when a news story like this grows inside the media, so much so that it becomes the topic of discussion for everyone who lives in this town, then you better expect a lot of attention from news outlets across the state and from out-of-towners who want to come up and experience this day of debauchery.
I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that, had there not been such controversy about this holiday from the get-go, we wouldn't have had such a backlash of crime because the students wouldn't have felt the need to rebel against some collective authority figure.
Am I saying it's the residents' fault for State Patty's Day crime? Absolutely not. But at this point, I hope you realize that you're all dealing with children here who, at the end of the day, just crave attention by trying to be rebellious.
Think about it. Penn State has to be the biggest and best at everything. We need to have the best football team, the biggest alumni network, the biggest stadium, the noisiest fans, the biggest philanthropy and on and on and on.
If you threaten to take something away from them, they're going to respond like they did this weekend. It's sad, and I'd be more condemning of it if I wasn't graduating in two months -- sorry.
Bottom line? The anger is understandable if not condoned. But let this year be a lesson to you. Arguing with spoiled kids who whine about their right to party won't stop them from making a mess of your town. By doing so, you're giving them what they want. Next year, don't give them the satisfaction.
