How Face Painting Steals Our Freedoms One By One

Parties are strictly verboten over Reading Week. Even the pre-frosh students I have met know all about how angry the college would get at any social organization that dared to open its doors this week. They're a little sorry that they weren't allowed to go to a college party, but they did go to that study break. Study what, you ask? Study break, where the college forgets all about the regulations against students enjoying themselves in any way, shape, or form over Reading Week and bribes them with food to come and play games in Mather Hall. What sort of games, you ask? The standard college fare ­ obstacle courses and face painting. Wait a secondŠthat sounds a lot like birthday parties from sixth grade, doesn't it? So why are we encouraged to act like children during this most rigorous of all rigorous and holy academic weeks?

The answer is relatively simple and should be pretty clear from some of my past articles. We are being led by people who not only want to be leaders, but also fathers. It's called paternalism, for those of you who aren't familiar with the lingo of oppression. Don't be mislead by the gender specific title; women can be paternalistic, too. Whole countries can be paternalistic, actually; just look at the history of the British Empire and read "The White Man's Burden" some time, or even do some reading on the slave owning practices of this country.

Paternalism, simply put, is one adult, because of his or her leadership position, treating everyone else as their children. It's "for their own good," of course, since we all realize that African Americans, Middle Eastern people, women the world over, and college students, especially freshmen, are utterly incapable of actually functioning as adults. See, adults make their own decisions, and sometimes, they're wrong. Sometimes, they drink themselves stupid or don't trade as efficiently as other countries. This is when the paternalistic leader steps in with a huge smile (gee, who do we know with a big smile for everyone?) and makes things right. He makes all the decisions for everyone, and they go and play in obstacle courses, or get their faces painted. They no longer have any rights or freedoms, but that is OK, because there is more than enough fun for everyone. Most importantly, of course, no one makes any bad decisions anymore. So the natives never make imperialism unprofitable; the slaves do their work with a smile, and Trinity students stay clear of the demon rum for a few weekends more.

The best part about paternalism is that it is self-perpetuating. You see, when you're treated as a child, you tend to act like a child. You never learn from your mistakes. So once in awhile, when there would be an uprising of the natives (wherever they were) the imperialists could simply sit back and smile. Sure enough, the natives would screw up, having never governed themselves before, and would even ask for their "father" to step back in and fix things. It's easier to be a child; you don't have to worry about things too much. Perhaps Trinity hopes the same truism will hold here ­ maybe if we get used to the idea of fun involving activities that would make a high-schooler embarrassed, we'll act like children all of the time. The school will, of course, have to step in with increasing authority to deal with all of the bad decisions that people are making. Soon, if we all spend enough time getting our faces painted, we won't have to make any decisions at all. The school really will be in loco parentis, and we won't have to worry about a thing. We will have abandoned all of our rights as adult, autonomous individuals at the gate, but that's OK ­ there'll be free food.

So I am not exactly happy with the double standard on parties over Reading Week. The message that is being sent is very clear ­ we can party all we want, as long as we party like we're twelve. That is by no means a harmless idea; in fact, as I hope I have made clear, it's downright pernicious. No one is suggesting that it is harmful, bad, or even abnormal to occasionally act childish. I think it's pretty healthy actually. When the actions of a child are the only actions available to you, however, and you're not a child, then something is very wrong.

I want to be clear as well that I am in no way faulting TCAC or any other student organization that has been or will be responsible for these events. It is not your fault that the school policy specifically prohibits maturity. I am faulting an administration that has gone out of its way in recent months to treat myself, and my fellow students‹all of whom are adults fully capable of governing our own lives‹as if we were imbecilic infants. Really, I just won't stand for it anymore. So you will never see me on an obstacle course; you will never see me getting my face painted. Healthy as it may occasionally be, I feel so firmly ascribed the role of a child at this school that I would sooner tear out my own eyes than fulfill it. I hope those of you who actually enjoy leading your own lives will join me. Many people have died demanding to be treated as adults and I will not pay someone to ignore that fact.