| The Behrend Beacon
The Behrend Beacon
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*%THE BEHREND
Beacon
“Professionalism
with a personality ”
Penn State Erie,
the Behrend College;
First Floor, The J. Elmer Reed Union Building,
Station Road, Erie, PA 16563.
Contact The Beacon at:
Telephone: (814) 898-6488
Fax: (814) 898-6019
ISSN 1071-9288.
Singing the Kit-Kat jingle
By Kristen Comstock
editorial columnist
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
The holidays are coming and we all know
what that means winter break! This time
it will actually be a break unlike our re
cently ended Thanksgiving Break.
It is unclear why Penn State has given
it this title. The name “Thanksgiving
Break” implies two things. First, the
United States holiday of Thanksgiving
takes place during this time period, which
by all reports it did. Second, that the Penn
State students receive a break. The sec
ond insinuation is the one of most con-
Maybe the real question is a break from
what? Giving Penn State some credit, we
did receive a break from cafeteria food, a
break from college drama, a break from
gang showers and flip-flops, a break from
roommates, a break from professors, a
break from classes and a break from walk
ing up that stupid hill three times per day.
However, we did not receive the most
important things we need during break,
which are relaxation, sleep and a break
from homework, reading, studying and
research.
The last day of classes before Thanks
giving Break students, of every semes
ter, could be seen lugging bags of laun
diy and backpacks stuffed with books and
binders out to their cars. Is this a fair or
just way to spend this so-called “break?”
Let’s breakdown the days of the
Thanksgiving holiday and analyze the
behaviors of the students during each day.
(Can you tell I have been spending most
of my time analyzing data for my research
project?)
The first day of break is spent unpack
ing, talking with family, and perhaps do
ing a little laundry. The second day is
Daniel J. Stasiewski, Editor in Chief
Amy Frizzell, Managing Editor
Courtney Kaplin, Advertising Manager
Alyssa Peconi, Public Relations Manager
Dr. Cathy Roan, Adviser
Student Life Editor
Lori DeFabio
Calendar Page Editor Assistant News Editor
Rob Frank Dan Snedden
Copy Editor
Lacy Buzard
Jenn Haight
Sarah Weber
Opinion Page Editor
Andy McNeil
Thanksgiving. So obviously that day
is spent eating, socializing, reminisc
ing and sleeping off the tryptophan.
Next is Black Friday, which students
either spend that day shopping or boy
cotting the horrible consumerism of
the country.
That leaves Saturday and Sunday,
which seem like just any other normal
weekend that we have while we are at
school. There still exist distractions
that prevent homework from getting
completed and chapters from getting
read.
All students overcome these chal
lenges every weekend by the invalu
able and essential “Sunday Workday.”
Everyone knows that Sunday after
noon is the time to stop procrastinat
ing and accomplish things. This is evi
denced by the array of away messages
all with a similar theme, “getting my
work done, which I put off all week
end.”
The Sunday after break is not a
workday. It is spent driving back to
campus, lugging the books and bind
ers back to the rooms, and unpacking
the now clean laundry.
Also, all the new holiday decora
tions that were bought discounted on
Black Friday, need to be strung and
taped up and holiday carols need to
be downloaded for the occasion.
Finally, when everything is in its
place, it is time to read the rest of the
chapters, type up those papers, and do
that homework. Break is officially
over, without really ever starting.
There is a light in the distance, how
ever. There are only two weeks until
Winter Break and, this time, the only
books that have to be lugged home are
the ones the bookstore did not buy
back.
News Editor
Brad Stewart
Sports Editors
Sam Cibula
Sara Kamber
Beacon Assistant
Carolyn M. Tellers
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Obituary for c
By Aaron J. Amendola
staff writer
It’s pretty much common sense that we
should treat others as we wish to be
treated. When it comes to girls however,
the treatment should be given with 110
percent.
I’m not kissing up to our female bud
dies, though; that’s just the way I was
brought up. I was taught to always open
the door for ladies, be as polite as pos
sible and give compliments whenever I
could. After having a conversation with
one of my friends, I was shocked to hear
that she thought chivalry was dead. Of
course, I brushed it off and went on with
my life.
It wasn’t until I sat down a few days
later with another friend when she went
off on a tirade on how men aren’t respect
ful; repulsed with the fact she had insen-
sitive “pigs” living in her dorms con
stantly cracking sex jokes at her. Ok, now
two complaints within the same week are
just coincidence.
Skip forward another couple of days. I
was sitting outside Bruno’s anxiously
waiting for some of my friends to accom
pany me to dinner. I sat at one of the tiny
tables and pulled out a book to pass the
time. While I tried to enjoy the musings
of David Sedaris’ latest novel, my atten
tion was constantly shifted to the set of
double doors next to the cafr. I watched
for about ten minutes, idly observing dif
ferent groups come in and out, yet I did
not see one boy hold the door open for a
girl.
Carolers to be shot on
By Amy Pogson
editorial columnist
I don’t really like Christmas music. I
know I shouldn’t say this, especially since
people tend to associate Christmas music
with cheerful, heartwarming activities:
Christinas carolers trudging through the
snow to share the beauty of music with
their neighbors, friends and family gath
ered around a fireplace sipping hot choco
late, roasting chestnuts (or acoms depend
ing on how well you adhere to the stan
dards of cooking nuts) and Christmas
trees decorated with old family heirloom
ornaments. I certainly don’t want to be
seen as someone who is anti-Christmas.
I don’t hate hot chocolate or my fam
ily. I might even like family heirloom or
naments. Yet, I can’t help the way that I
feel. Christmas music has its place, a very
rigid sphere of influence that it should not
venture beyond, but lately it seems that
Christmas music desires to be every
where, played at all times, by all people:
a very alarming trend.
I had my first brush with Christmas
music in mid-November. I was pumping
gas at my favorite Country Fair (the one
in Edinboro where the gas is cheap, the
people are friendly and everyone knows
your name) when I heard a familiar tune
come on the speakers. Now anyone who
has ever listened to real gas station mu
sic, the kind that doubles as elevator mu
sic and restaurant music, knows that gas
station music is never familiar. It is an
ivalry on t
I’ve come to grips with it by now,
Chivalry is dying fast.
Why though? Where did it suffer a
blow? I’m sure there are still a few good
guys out there carrying books and doing
good deed:- for ladies, but those guys are
few and far between.
I blame the media. Take a gander into
a Maxim or GQ and rifle through the
loads of advertisements. I’m willing to
bet that every other ad has something that
disrespects women or objectifies them.
All the de-sensitizing conditioning guys
are getting from these magazines is re
ally putting a damper on the opinion of
men everywhere. The media constantly
recognize women as objects and, while
that does happen to men as well, males
seem to act on this notion much more
than needed.
I know a group of guys that are always
talking about their “next girl.” Who is
this “next girl?” From what they tell me,
it’s whoever is going to be at The Metro
or Peccadillo’s this week. The morning
after their night of clubbing they will tell
me and the rest of the guys in my class
of their triumphs. These are kids that ace
every test and all have good heads on
their shoulders; they just lack in giving
respect to women. Chivalry should be
taught in a classroom, maybe then they’d
study up on that, too.
These types of guys are constantly
making it harder for the “nice guys” of
the world to get ahead. Why do women
put up with men that persist to use them
and abuse them? Simple: The media glo
rifies this type of behavior. It is depicted
obscure instrumental mix known only to
the people who wrote the songs, per
formed the songs and who are stuck
working in the gas stations with the
songs. Since the tune was familiar, 1
stopped and listened. Sure enough, it was
genuine Christmas music, the kind that
you hear in December, before Christmas.
The realization that the gas station, my
beloved Country Fair, was playing
Christmas music in November did some
thing to me. I can’t explain it. It was a
very surreal sensation, as if I was living
in a parallel universe, a universe where
Christmas exists without Christmas.
It was a cold November night, there
were no cozy fireplaces, no cups of hot
chocolate and good will towards men
seemed to be a temporarily forgotten
concept in the day to day task of pump
ing gas, yet the music played on, remi
niscent of Christmas past and hopeful of
Christmas yet to be.
It struck me afterwards, when I was
thinking about the music at the gas sta
tion, that Christmas music is only worth
while in the brief period of time before
Christmas, not before, not after, and cer
tainly not in the summer when some
ambitious stores celebrate Christmas in
July. Christmas music is a lot like the
United States’ elections. If it is drawn
out for too long and people are forced to
listen to songs like ’The Little Drum
mer Boy” and “Santa Claus is Coming
to Town” months in advance, then people
will become bored and stop paying at-
Friday, December 3, 2004
in everything from advertisements to
movies. People have been de-sensitized
to it, so they allow it. I’m just scared
that if this problem continues, then ev
eryone will think this is acceptable be
havior. Pretty soon nice guys won’t fin
ish last, they'll never start the race to
begin with.
Hear that? It's the sound of all the nice
guys of America dying a slow, cruel
death.
There isn't much anyone can do about
it. Companies are going to continue to
use advertisements like the ones found
in GQ and Maxim magazines. Sex sells
and images of women being used as ob
jects are appealing to men, there’s noth
ing we can do to help that fact. If guys
are like me and are against having
women beginning to see us as “pigs,”
and being driven by nothing by sex, then
I know of something that may just help
in the fight.
Chivalry. In the end, it all comes down
to what our mamas and papas taught us.
It’s not that hard either fellas. Being po
lite to girls isn't hard, it just requires the
slightest of efforts. Next time you see a
girl behind you, get to the door first and
open it for them. If they're having
trouble with something, just help them.
What if the girl behind you in your po
litical science class drops her pen? Pick
it up for her dammit! In the fight for
chivalry, we can make a difference. Will
you join in my crusade? Who will be
strong and work with me? It's time for
the nice guys of the world to take a stand.
tention. The songs will lose their sig
nificance. The value that Christmas mu
sic has a unique ability to evoke cheer
ful thoughts of family, friends, and that
Christmas magic that we all remember
feeling as children, will be lost.
And maybe the problem of Christmas
songs goes hand in hand with other as
pects of Christmas. If people decorate
their homes too early, then the decora
tions become boring. If people begin
their Christmas shopping too early, it
becomes more like a task, a chore to get
done, than the spontaneous search for
fun gifts that people will like, conducted
a week before Christmas.
If they are real, Christmas trees should
be purchased a week before Christmas,
so as not to become dry and flammable
during the holidays. If they are fake,
Christmas trees should be left in the
basement or attic until the appropriate
time, one to two weeks before Christ-
And if Christmas music comes on the
radio at inopportune times, change the
station. Write letters of complaint.
Spread the message to your friends that
Christmas music at the wrong time will
not be tolerated. Tell the world that you
want your Christmas music to be mean
ingful and you want it played at Christ
mas. Never settle for less and have a
merry Christmas, when you are ready,
of course. Amy’s editorial appears ev
ery third week.
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