That’s the headline of an editorial by Jennifer Baker in the Towerlight this week.
I’ve never been so disappointed in Towson University as I was this past week. I’ve always known that Towson has been a school lacking in school spirit. However, I never would have imagined the lack of caring this past Friday.
Virginia Tech alumni and students declared this past Friday “Maroon and Orange Affect Day” – a day were students were supposed to wear maroon and orange to show their support for those attempting to deal with the tragedy that happened at Tech. As I looked out my window, maybe one out of every 30 students was wearing maroon and orange. The faculty that I saw seemed to be wearing every other color of the rainbow.
Especially given the fact that this past Friday was also Destination Towson, you would think that the University would have made a larger deal out of showing that this school cares about the events that occurred. No such luck. Even the chairs of the academic departments were lacking support.
As I sat down last Monday watching the events unfold and talking to my friend at Tech, I was worried that students at Towson would let this go unnoticed. These fears were diminished when I heard that The Towerlight was going to have very thorough coverage. But with limited circulation, the efforts they put in were cut short. I know that if I had not heard about the issue through Facebook, I would not have sought out a copy, and probably would not have received one.
Perhaps you may not understand why I am so upset about this since we are Towson students, not Virginia Tech students. But think about this: If the headlines said “Massacre at Towson,” how would you feel if no other schools wore black and gold? And yes,
this could have happened here. It could have happened anywhere.
And here, my pathetic response:
Dear Jennifer,
If the massacre happened at Towson, I really don’t think I’d care much who if anyone chose to wore black and gold on some random day chosen to show support. Then again, it might depend on whether or not I was dead. And if someone I knew or cared about had died in this hypothetical massacre at Towson, I don’t know that seeing people wearing Towson’s school colors would really matter a great deal to me one way or the other.
I wasn’t on campus Friday, so I don’t know how many people weren’t wearing VTech’s colors. I worked. And I didn’t wear maroon and orange. I don’t have many clothes in those colors (maroon means red, right?), but just because I wasn’t wearing my heart on my sleeve (proverbially or literally as you will) doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about it, or thinking about the possibility it might happen someday on Towson’s campus, or how such random violence could, possibly, in the future, affect my life.
No, Jennifer, it doesn’t. What’s the saying? Judge a person by their actions and not their words? In this case, you have to judge a person not by their actions (not wearing VTech colors) but by their heart. I realize you’re probably not psychic, and probably can’t look into people’s hearts, but from my experiences on campus last week, a lot of people have VTech on their minds, and in their hearts.
Does it surprise you that the outward acknowledgement of the massacre might be lacking? For all our bluster and jokes about the massacre in my classes, all of this masked a deep worry that such a tragedy might someday come to Towson — after all, we’re on a college campus not much better protected than VTech’s was. Don’t think the thought isn’t running through everyone’s mind on campus: could this happen to us? As you point out, of course it could. Do you really expect people to drag this out of the deep dark closets of our inner-psyches and display it for everyone to see? Doubtful.
-Me
Yeah Snay! good for you for standing up for all the folks for whom “what’s inside beats how it looks”. Anybody can go out and buy unusual colors, rah-rah, stand around with a candle in their hand and then go back to what they were doing the next day or the next week. It’s people who feel and think deeply who may solve the next crisis…or even prevent if.
Comment by tea — April 24, 2007 @ 11:43 am
Very well spoken!
Comment by Lynda — April 24, 2007 @ 12:37 pm
I feel the same way. I am already tired of all the tribute crap that Towson is doing. Today, there is someone out front of the Union selling something with a big sign that says “Support VT.”
Also, has anyone thought that maroon and orange are hideous together and they would rather not wear those colors. I agree, just because I wore a different color doesn’t mean I am not sympathetic. People show compassion and sympathy in other ways.
Comment by Ryan — April 24, 2007 @ 1:33 pm
It’s hard isn’t it…?
I can see where she was coming from.. I can see the point she’s trying to make .. but I also have to agree with you because I’m not a very rah-rah kind of person and yet from all the way over here.. I have been thinking about them.
It could happen anywhere.. even here.. to me or my kids or my friends.. and I don’t need to see people wearing anything in any particular colour to think about that.
And yet.. I think she’s talking about solidarity .. and strength in numbers.. and showing the people that have had personal loss .. that they *are* in people’s hearts … so I don’t know if I could have too much of a go at her as you did..
We wear Poppies on November 11th and we wear pink bows for Breast Cancer Research and it’s why people buy Red Ipods.. other than the funky colour.. it’s visible support to show people that we care.. care for them in particular.. support them for what they have had to go through and showing that we acknowledge .. ‘it could have been us’
I think her *heart* was in the right place when she wrote this.
Comment by NM — April 24, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
Snay, you should thank your lucky stars every day that you weren’t born a woman. In our current culture women are expected to “care” about tragedy, drama and the misfortune of others. Us women better be damned well praying, loving and worrying about what is happening with everyone else or we are ostracized by the judgers and do-gooders. Ole Jen is proudly making sure we are doing as society expects. There is a special place in hell for these folks.
Wearing specific colors won’t do jack shit to make a world a better place. Tell her to go stuff it.
Comment by Cham — April 24, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
Good points, Snay. I hate people who are all show and no substance. Not to say that the people wearing the colors are such people, but wearing the colors doesn’t do a damn thing. How about fighting to change gun laws or reaching out to someone who needs help?
Comment by S* — April 24, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
I agree with your point – everyone reacts in his or her own way. You shouldn’t be chastised for not expressing your feelings the same way.
Cham has also makes a good point…Jen’s phrasing even states students “were supposed” to wear the colors on that day. Why are were we supposed to do that, because some social group decided that was the socially approved form of caring?
That being said, I think shows of solidarity can be powerful and meaningful.
Comment by danielle — April 24, 2007 @ 5:54 pm
very well spoken!!
Comment by violet — April 24, 2007 @ 7:23 pm
Orange and maroon are some pretty weird colors for a lot of people to have on hand. I agree with NM and danielle. Snay of course you are right too, this has affected many people who will show or not show their feelings in a variety of ways. Introverts like to brood by themselves and extroverts prefer to crowd together for a collective melding of their sadness. It’s all good.
Comment by Claire — April 24, 2007 @ 7:25 pm
I didn’t even know friday was VT day. Nonetheless, I think it’s a tad silly that Towson’s remorse over the tragedy should be judged by the colors it chooses wear. Beyond that, who actually owns both maroon and orange.
As college students we all feel for VT, and we realize that our situations aren’t that different and that something similar could easily happen at Towson, College Park, UMBC, wherever. I was a high school student when Columbine happened but I have to say that the VT shooting affects me more as a college student now than Columbine did then.
pz
UMBC
Comment by Pat — April 24, 2007 @ 7:31 pm
Although her heart was probably in the right place, she shouldn’t have been trying to judge what was in the hearts of others. Mind-readers get me every time. And I don’t much care for someone else decreeing what I must do to show my support. Even over-looking the fact that maroon (a purplish dark red, by the way) and orange are a hideous color combo, there are other ways to grieve than wearing Va Tech’s school colors.
Comment by CS — April 24, 2007 @ 10:26 pm
Word.
I don’t like these things. Although, on one hand, I understand the importance of visual displays as a display of support, I don’t see how that helps the people who suffered the most out of this. Namely, the victims, and the students at VT who are feeling the emotional toll. Perhaps if people had been in attendance at VT or had some some specific gathering and chose to wear coordinating colors, that would be something, but to display colors as a sign of support?
I agree that people show grief and support in different ways and while there is nothing wrong in people asking people to do these sorts of things, they shouldn’t judge those who choose not to. They have no idea what goes on in their hearts.
Comment by Hanmee — April 25, 2007 @ 9:56 am
[...] thankful that nothing dreadful occured at Towson. I spent more time than I cared to last spring contemplating such an event. « danny elfman (now, with lyrics) [...]
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