Unfair trade leads to anger and frustration
Campus Times
October 18, 2002
I am from Minnesota; there are few things in my life of which I am more
proud of.
In this, believe it or not, my sister is also from the land of 10,000
lakes. As of May of this year, this same sister graduated in just three
years from St. Mary's University in southern Minnesota with a degree in
political science. Her goal: to become an attorney.
Ever since I can remember, she wanted to come out to California. She
entertained the dream of every sun-thirsty Midwesterner. As of July, this
dream was to become a reality - she was going to find her way to Whittier
Law School in Costa Mesa.
Needless to say, my brother and I were excited. As the only two boys
of six kids, it was always our duty to protect our sisters.
This duty, although put on hold when we became part of the long transplant
list here for our sojourn in southern California, was now to be resurrected.
Our sister was going to be less than an hour away - depending, of course,
on the traffic.
It should surprise no one, then, that when this duty actually came in
to practice, we stepped into action. Our sister's transmission in her car
went on an indefinite vacation.
My brother and I own a 1985 Volkswagen Jetta, bought from our roommate
for $80 plus $20 in beer. In the last nine months, we have become rather
attached to the beast. But when we heard of our sister's car situation,
there was never a second thought.
She resides at least four miles from her school and her law internship
so we figured she could take our car and we could take her bike and share
it. No problem. It is our duty and we accepted it with alacrity.
So, because I was biking, I arose from my wonderful slumber an extra
15 minutes early in order to give myself enough time to make it to my 9
a.m. class on time. Usually, waking up early is not easy, as we all know.
But, on this day, I had a reason to smile.
My hopping - yes I hopped, don't ask - out of bed premature on this
morning was helping someone else close to me; I can not think of a better
reason to conjure up some energy. So I rode my sister's bike to school.
After a small amount of lock negotiation, the bike was locked safely
in front of the Supertents. Why should I worry? Even if the lock failed,
Campus Safety is located about a 15-second walk away. I can not imagine
anyone trying anything with this fact looming over his or her head.
Well, someone did. When I returned at about 10 p.m. that night, after
an extremely long day at the University of La Verne, the lock was lying
on the ground, sawed in two.
Rage spiraled through my head. I was doing something nice for my family.
I was making a sacrifice for someone I love, and some colossal wastes
of skin decided to attach their sucker to my internal organs and suck the
humors from my person, just as they do from society as a whole on a daily
basis.
These people - and I say people because it must have taken more than
one person to saw a lock in front of the Student Center between 9 a.m. and
10 p.m. - felt that while everyone else at this school squeezes out blood,
sweat and tears to try and make something of themselves, they would continue
to waste away into total deviance and abolish any hope of ever contributing
to the civilized world around them.
If, God forbid, these people are students at ULV, then I swoon in pure
disgust that I can possibly be educated at the same institution as they.
Why? What is wrong with you people? How are the ideas of class and honesty
so foreign to you? Why is it that you must infiltrate our society with your
moral bankruptcy?
I have experienced too much of these bottom feeders in my life, and
I shall honestly say that I am sincerely nauseated by it.
Take your parasitic thievery somewhere else - it is not wanted here.
Matt Paulson, a sophomore journalism major, is sports editor of the
Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at phil6483@aol.com.
