Spring Break
Students should refrain from mob mentality
Issue date: 10/16/03 Section: Editorial/Opinion
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10/16/03 - To the Cigar,
I am a student at this university and I am from Boston. So of course, I am a Red Sox fan. I love the Sox, and the initial chanting "Yankees suck" and "Let's go Red Sox" is what brought me out those two nights of rioting. I was definitely excited after the Sox pulled out the victory against the A's and when they overpowered the Yanks in game 1.
This excitement carried with me when I started chanting in the streets. It was great to be with people who had the same passion as me. It was exciting to chant, it was exciting to yell at Yankees fans, but after that things did get out of hand. I was probably one of the majority of students at the riot who didn't lead but just followed along with the outspoken "leaders" (term used very loosely) of the mob.
People like me are how the vandals got their strength. Many things that were done definitely had me questioning if I wanted to be associated with them. The night of running around and losing my voice was fun. Watching people flip a car, smash windows and inflict violence was definitely not.
Until I read the many editorials in the Oct. 10 issue of The Cigar, I had not really thought about the consequences. All of the press attention and stories were exciting, but when the excitement faded we were left with people who were hurt, a vandalized campus and bad publicity.
Before these editorials, I was proud to be associated with the riots, but now I'm ashamed. Let's listen to what they are telling us and not let this happen again. Let's go out and cheer and yell how much "Jeter swallows," but let's not act like animals and hurt our school anymore than we already have.
Jonathan Christiansen
I am a student at this university and I am from Boston. So of course, I am a Red Sox fan. I love the Sox, and the initial chanting "Yankees suck" and "Let's go Red Sox" is what brought me out those two nights of rioting. I was definitely excited after the Sox pulled out the victory against the A's and when they overpowered the Yanks in game 1.
This excitement carried with me when I started chanting in the streets. It was great to be with people who had the same passion as me. It was exciting to chant, it was exciting to yell at Yankees fans, but after that things did get out of hand. I was probably one of the majority of students at the riot who didn't lead but just followed along with the outspoken "leaders" (term used very loosely) of the mob.
People like me are how the vandals got their strength. Many things that were done definitely had me questioning if I wanted to be associated with them. The night of running around and losing my voice was fun. Watching people flip a car, smash windows and inflict violence was definitely not.
Until I read the many editorials in the Oct. 10 issue of The Cigar, I had not really thought about the consequences. All of the press attention and stories were exciting, but when the excitement faded we were left with people who were hurt, a vandalized campus and bad publicity.
Before these editorials, I was proud to be associated with the riots, but now I'm ashamed. Let's listen to what they are telling us and not let this happen again. Let's go out and cheer and yell how much "Jeter swallows," but let's not act like animals and hurt our school anymore than we already have.
Jonathan Christiansen
