Opinions

More and more, I find myself looking around in this world and thinking, “seriously?”

Over fall break I had one of these moments, when in a gas station in western Iowa I stumbled across the newest offering in low-calorie soda: Dr. Pepper 10.

Really though, it’s not the product I take issue with as much as the marketing campaign and slogan supporting it. Window clings exclaimed from the cooler that “It’s not for women!!!!”

This past week, Alexandra Forbes (‘13) and I went to a green grocer. For those of you who are not familiar with green grocers, it is basically a fresh fruit and vegetable stand.

The two of us went looking for something to supplement the dinner that was being made that night. I thought that maybe a fruit salad would be good. It was my first time actually looking around the store, and I was thoroughly lost. I thought I knew my fruits and vegetables, but when they have a different name, that makes it a bit more confusing.

Dear Chips,

As a former female worker for grounds crew, I believe the writer of the article of last week’s issue titled “Gender roles on grounds crew questioned” handled the issue well. She introduced a line of thought that exists within the crew – “It’s just the way things are” – and followed with a great analysis of this statement by Kim Larson about what this says about our society.

In my room, there’s a mirror with magazine cut-outs of encouraging words, pictures of myself and my best friend and little things that always make us smile. It’s colorful—a hodge-podge of happiness that has summed up my relationship with her throughout the years.

Last Tuesday night, Chelsey Kohnen (‘13) and I went to an Indian festival called Dussehra or Navratri. The festival celebrated two Hindu gods who were fighting and then on the tenth day, they stopped fighting. We went on the sixth day, when many University students attended.

“When I grow up, I want to inspire people.”

I always feel a surge of pride and panic every time I hear someone say this. Pride, because it’s a lofty idea that gives me shivers to think that the person I’m standing by could be the big change in the world. Panic, because I’m almost positive that that person is definitely not me.

Last week I overheard a group of students discussing their weekend plans as we moseyed across campus to our Friday classes. A girl asked her friend if he planned on attending the “Sharing Sylvia” celebration in Marty’s on Saturday night.