Spring 2009 - Issue 5

The Silversword: Home > Op-Ed > I’m Just Sayin’

I’m Just Sayin’

Russell Thoulag, Op-Ed Editor

I can’t help but laugh at our school sometimes. I like absurdity, and Chaminade is always happy to deliver. There is always something that this school lacks that makes me wonder what could be more important than this specific area of neglect. Other times, Chaminade has this certain object or area, but it is underutilized, misused, unused, quirky, or wholly unnecessary. Although these situations perturb me, I still manage a good chuckle from them. Here are a few examples.

VH1—Always On

After a long day of classes and work, I like to head to the Loo Student Center to unwind. I don’t have cable at home (or a 50-inch HDTV), so when I get a chance, I like to park myself in front of the TV. For some reason, it’s always tuned into VH1, and everyone is glued to the latest, riveting episodes of “I Love Money 2,” and “For the Love of Ray J.”

We have over 70 channels! Why are we always watching the one channel that has the most pointless garbage? It could be argued that all TV is garbage, but this stuff is embarrassing. All it is, is just a bunch of nobodies making snarky comments about nothing.

All its so-called stars are nobodies or has-been celebrities.

The reality shows—don’t get me started about how ridiculous those are. Since when does anyone in this reality live in a mansion with ten other people, vying for the attention of a loser. I loved the ’90s, and I often reminisce about those “good ‘ol days,” but not for two hours. And I am not really interested in what the greatest “celebreality” fight is.

It’s ok to veg-out every now and then, but when we are constantly interested in these shows, it worries me. I don’t know what’s sadder, the people on these “reality” shows that make their trivialities into drama, or the people who are glued to their seats watching.

The Grass Is Always $Greener$

When I first came to Chaminade as a freshman, there was a lot of landscaping going on. The greenery that greets visitors to the campus was not always like that. Now as a senior, I can honestly say that Chaminade has got some pretty damn good looking grass. But I’ve always wondered how much money was spent on achieving this. I remember excavators and laborers hard at work, and cars that had to take different routes in the search for parking that ultimately didn’t exist.

I could tell there was a lot of effort and money being put into it, but my question always was, why is grass the priority on this campus? Why not parking? Why not better roads? Why not more funding for programs? I always felt like the grass would be worth more than the degree I was trying to attain.

The ultimate insult Chaminade ever doled out to me was during last years Pacific Island Review (PIR). The acts were set to perform on the lawn in front of the library. The Micronesian Club requested a platform for our dances but we were denied because it would damage the grass. It’s nice to know that your islands’ culture is second place to the landscape. Nice going Chaminade!

Maybe when I die and turn to grass, Chaminade will really appreciate me. Until then maybe they might want some fertilizer.

St. Louis School

We share our great (I’m using the term loosely) campus with St. Louis School. I see the St. Louis boys and feel a certain amount of envy and disdain. Maybe its because they’ve got H2 Hummers and Mercedes-Benz. Maybe it’s their Rolex’s and PDA’s. Maybe it’s because they’ve got better sports and dining facilities than Chaminade. Maybe still, it’s that whole house-egging story from a while back.

I do know that these boys make me feel very poor and aggravated. Chaminade students are not perfect either. There is however a disparity between the quality of life between the two schools. I know for a fact that not all of them are spoiled and awful. I know a few SLS alumni that go to Chaminade who are different, but I feel like they are the minority. Prove me wrong St. Louis boys!

On a Lighter Note

I was prepared to make a statement about the Sullivan Family Library’s previous lack of a computer dedicated to its catalogue. They now have one on the second floor. Good job! It is a welcome improvement.