Article Submission Call: The Dartmouth Beacon

Intercepted this important memo and, in the spirit of friendliness, thought I'd help The Dartmouth Beacon out with their recruiting. If you'd like to write any of these articles, blitz James Throckmorton.

Pre-Cooked Brainstorming for Articles:

Culture

Animal Rights Vegetarians: Animals rights activists at Dartmouth recently set up a booth in Novack from which to proselytize their Gaian religion. “I used to be a human rights activist until I realized how many more animals in the world are suffering and how much more severely they are suffering than humans” explained to me one of the girls manning the booth. More than anything, this activism demonstrates a loss of moral bearing. The Extreme Left is too far entrenched in moral relativism to have a clear justification for its moral verdicts. Indeed, people are fundamentally moral in that they need to believe in right and wrong, and if this necessity is suppressed in its most natural places, it will manifest itself in absurd—even destructive—ways. [e.g. veganism--very destructive]

Depression: The general incidence of unipolar depressive episodes in the US for those born in 1910 is approximately 1.5% of the population. For those born in 1970, the figure is roughly 60%. The general incidence of bipolar disorder, on the other hand, has not changed significantly. This and controls on the experiment suggest that the increase in unipolar depression is not due to over-reporting. And as bipolar is much more tightly linked to genetics than unipolar depression, the increase in depression incidence suggests some changing aspect of American society is to blame.
Is there a conservative position on depression? Can one be made? Does the incredible increase in depression rates stem from changes in technology or family structure or societal values or something else?
Considering the large number of Dartmouth students who have experienced depression, this subject would be of particular interest to the student body.

Dartmouth Hook-Ups: What is hooking-up? [Only The Beacon could seriously ask this question.] Is it healthy? [ditto] What do we really want from the other sex and does hooking-up give it? [ditto] Who wins in this game? Is using the word “slut” outdated or bigoted, as our friends at the DFP would argue? [Answer: Yes.]

Temporarily Authentic- “authentic” stems from “authenticable,” and originally suggested something was genuine only if it could be measured against some objective standard. However, the commonplace definition has changed, reflecting America’s changing values; something is authentic precisely when there is no measure of it. “Be Yourself,” one might say. Don’t conform to anything, especially not an objective standard. And so someone is trustworthy when he eschews morals, etiquette, and other standards (this idea comes from an issue of Mars Hill Audio and should be used as a springboard for an article—not plagiarized).
A more Dartmouth pertinent article could not be written. [Really? I personally feel an article revealing The Beacon's discovery of "hooking-up" would indeed be more Dartmouth pertinent.]

Jack Kerouac- Who was he and how has current thinking been shaped by his ideas? Have even conservatives unwittingly adopted some of his propositions as their own? [Kerouac didn't have ideas. He had sentences. Plain ones.]

Culture Qua Culture- derived from the same root for “agriculture,” “culture” originally implied an understanding of the good. A well-cultured man was one who had mastered all those subjects society considered most valuable. His thinking had been carefully cultivated. But culture has since evolved to mean the norms of a group. And because there is no good towards which one can aspire save an ambiguous assimilation [there isn't? Damn!], culture has been stripped of any power to benefit society. An extreme multiculturalism develops from this. [Obvi]

Live and Let Die- Moral relativism produces in its adherents a callousness to the interests of others. “He can do what he wants and I will do what I want,” but do I care if he ultimately suffers or thrives? Am I my brother’s keeper? [Everyone take an Ingmar Bergman Moment to look at the sky dolefully.]

Domestic Politics

School Vouchers- Efficacious? Constitutional? Moral? Long-term or Short-term? Currently, parents of the lowest classes have very little choice but to send their children to what are usually failing public schools. Pushing for vouchers highlights conservative empathy while embossing the limousine liberal. [Embossing?]

Sarbanes Oxley- can subject matter as arcane as this be made Dartmouth palatable? [Not if you're writing it.]

Marijuana Legalization- can it be justified under conservative principles?
This subject could earn kudos for open-mindedness. [Or "brownie points." LOL]

The Republican Party- is it conservative? If so, to what extent and in what way? -this article could easily be completed in under 700 words. [WOW. 700 words? You just blew my mind.]


Foreign Policy

United Nations- Seriously? [Better article: The Beacon- Seriously?]


College

The Fall of Bradley- the shower towers were built under the assumption that human tastes had changed, and man could be socialized to love post-modern architecture. After some 30 ugly years, the towers will be falling, leaving in their place new, neo-classical buildings. These buildings stand as a monument to the staying-power of human nature. Aesthetics, the least of all things bourn of human nature, will not change. Human nature is real. [Natch.]


II) B-B-Cue

We will be having a social BBQ sometime in the next week so that new members of the Beacon can grow acquainted with the entrenched. [entrenched in what is my question] James Throckmorton will be planning this.

All emphases are mine. All ideas are theirs. Seriously.