At my high school, the graduating class each year held a "senior catharsis." This event took place outside of school, and was a special moment in which seniors and faculty gathered to share favorite memories - while laughing and crying - in order to approach commencement with a fresh outlook.
Though cathartic, shout outs are nothing like that.
Our semiannual, campus-wide discharge of rants, raves, and declarations of love is quite the release, but (I will admit) hardly sentimental. Or at least as sentimental as one can be when comparing frat boys to farm animals or when hitting on the main liasion between President Gutmann and students.
Yet some say that shout outs epitomize "high school," in the sense that they are immature and promote gossip. And that isn't untrue. But I've got bad news for you. That isn't high school. That's life. (So I hear.)
But admit it: they are fun. Luckily, that's life too.
And don't be discouraged; there is far more to shout outs than what meets the eye. Sure, on the surface there is vengefulness, lust and cynicism, but these feelings are often just external manifestations of a festering frustration with various aspects of campus life.
Case in point: the shout out to the microwave-hating roommate (page 20). Rather than consider the shouter's actions as underhanded (albeit creative), think about how it recalls the ongoing debate between what is environmentally friendly and what is technologically useful. How do you know when - or where - to draw the line?
The same goes for shout outs about Hey Day, for example. One problem of our campus - with its many students and its many resources - is that it is often unclear which is the correct resource to utilize. If you're upset about the date of Hey Day, how do you voice your opinion? Though I am sure there are alternative avenues, shouting out your frustration to the entire campus seems an effective manner of airing discontent.
So really, shout outs represent an open forum for all Quakers to enjoy. Watch out, Mark Zuckerberg. Your Web site isn't the only thing around with social utility.
Here's to you,
