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5 Reasons Why I Love Being American
Elsa Lang Lively
Since all the articles I have previously written for the Scholarly Journal have been focused on travelling and international affairs, I thought it might be interesting to shake things up a bit and talk about the country I know better than any other, my own country. Because this is an opinion piece, I am only speaking from my own observations and personal experience after living seventeen years as an American citizen, and I know there are many more reasons than just five to love America; however, these are the first five reasons that come to mind when I think about why I am proud to be an American.
1. Freedom of religion. I know it is a pretty widely known fact the right to the free exercise of religion is a guaranteed right in the first amendment, and we as Americans have been putting this right to good use before America even became a nation. Hearing stories about people being martyred for their faith in places like China and Saudi Arabia are good reminders to us all persecution is still very much alive today, and we should be thanking God every day for the blessing to live in a country where we can freely practice our beliefs.
What I have just become aware of in recent months, however, is the blessing to have grown up in a country where the fundamentals of Christianity are present everywhere and the actual practice of Christianity is commonplace. Many countries, typically the more Westernized ones, have freedom of religion built into their respective constitutions; however, the right to practice religion does not guarantee the people of a country will actually have a high religious population. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life from 2010, the United States has the highest Christian population in the world. Although this does not necessarily mean all self-proclaimed Christians in America truly have personal relationships with Christ, this statistic reflects the amount of Americans who are at least aware of the fundamentals of Christianity and are familiar with the practice of Christianity. I was astonished when some European friends I made from France and Austria this summer said the majority of the people they knew were not Christians and had never actually heard the Gospel, much less the key beliefs of Christianity. It is very possible to grow up in a country that permits the practice of religion but never even hear about the Gospel. Although this is true even for those living in America, I would venture to say the high amount of churches, especially here in Hampton Roads, as well as our nation’s original founding under God, have caused the United States to be a nation where the practice of Christianity is common and accepted.
2. Our military. Growing up in a military family, I have always viewed the United States military in a particular light. Having my father and other relatives frequently deploy to the Middle East or other areas around the world has helped me not to take our daily freedoms for granted. I will always remember my dad telling me he was proud to serve in the military because he believed in helping those in countries who could not help themselves. Truly, those serving in the military are modern-day heroes who protect not only the freedoms of our own country but also fight for the rights of those who are not yet free.
I will never stop feeling a surge of pride whenever I hear our national anthem or when each branch of the military’s song is played on the fourth of July. I love how our country is so patriotic and proud of all who serve to defend our country. When I was staying with my French host family this past summer, I distinctly remember the father telling me the French were not particularly proud of their military, and only the school drop-outs joined the military because they were not smart enough to get accepted into a good university. He said the only time the military was showcased and celebrated is on their national day of independence, when the soldiers take part in a parade in Paris. I am so glad our military is not celebrated and remembered only once per year but throughout the year because of the daily sacrifices they make.
3. The food. I’m going to be completely honest here and say as much as I enjoy authentic French bread and Italian gelato, there’s nothing like a good ol’ American barbeque and a huge Saturday breakfast of waffles and (turkey) bacon. America often gets a bad rap for having so many fast food chains and a high obesity rate, but food is an integral part of our culture. By this I am referring to quantity and not quality. We Americans delight in the sheer amount of food our bodies can withstand during each meal. I know my family chooses a restaurant based upon not just the taste of the food but also the portion size of the food. We marvel at the monstrous size of burgers and platters of fries that accompany our meals and feel gypped if free refills are not permitted. Buffet outings and all-you-can-eat nights are anxiously awaited by Americans all across the country, and the winners of eating contests are treated as local heroes. While it probably is not ideal to revel in excess, it is rather refreshing to be able to indulge every once in a while and feel good about doing it.
4. The music. Although I am probably biased on the subject, I would argue Americans have produced some very entertaining music over the years. From Big Band and jazz to rock-and-roll and hip hop, America has been entertaining the rest of the world musically for many years. Recently, I was looking at the top ten music charts in various European countries and was pleasantly surprised to find they all had the same top music hits we have here in America. Of course, whether or not American music is “good” depends upon one’s personal taste. But if people all around the world are enjoying artists like Michael Jackson and Macklemore just as much as we are, then maybe the American music industry is on the right track….
5. The diversity. It is so neat to be able to say our nation is a “melting pot” or a “tossed salad,” if you will. It shows just how much people from all walks of life can be united simply because they are Americans. I love reading about the stories of immigrants in the early 1900s who wanted to live the American Dream and start a new life in a new country despite the odds. Although it was not always easy for those coming to America to be incredibly prosperous right away, they worked hard to earn a living and had opportunities to pursue their dreams and passions.
I have always marveled at the immigration story of my great-grandmother, Elsa Swanson, who immigrated to America from Sweden when she was only sixteen years old. Her family had raised enough money for her passage to Ellis Island, and she left behind her family to make a new life in America. When she arrived, she moved to Chicago and worked as a housemaid for an elderly female author who published her works with a man’s pen name. I cannot imagine leaving behind my family and working in a new country without knowing a single bit of the national language. Yet my great-grandma worked hard and adapted to a new culture and language because she wanted to raise her future children and grandchildren in a country of opportunity and freedom. It is for this reason I love living in a country where so many diverse people groups can all call America home.
As I have previously mentioned, this is only a short list of many reasons why I love America. I know this is not a perfect country, and there are many things our country could be doing to improve socially, politically, and spiritually. Nevertheless, I am so grateful to have lived my life in a country where I am surrounded by people I love and am encouraged to work hard while serving God. Next year, I am scheduled to study abroad in Scotland and hope to live overseas someday with my future job. Yet no matter how far my travels may take me and no matter what environment I will find myself in, I will always be proud to call myself an American and will never get tired of returning home, to the United States, and being with the people I love in the place I love.
The Pledge of Allegiance
Jared Emry
The Pledge of Allegiance continues to be widely accepted in America. Some people dislike it, but most of them just want it tweaked to leave out a part they don’t like. Almost everyone agrees to keep the pledge in schools, camps, and other areas where children might be. Unfortunately, few people know anything about the history of the pledge or the implications of the pledge in relation to its history. It is also worth noting the effect such a pledge can have on a nation that is brought up saying it.
The author is an important subject to study when trying to understand the purpose of the pledge. The Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892. Bellamy was a Baptist preacher who spoke a social gospel but was forced out of his position for his teachings. He later stopped attending church. His most famous sermon was entitled “Jesus was a Socialist.” Francis Bellamy was also known as one of the greatest advocates of public education, which fit perfectly with his ideas of economic egalitarianism. Bellamy also joined the Nationalist movement, which sought to create government-owned monopolies of public service including education, healthcare, and transportation. Nationalism has been defined as “the aim to promote the wellbeing of the whole nation or some groups of its citizens by inflicting harms on foreigners,” especially by “discrimination in the economic sphere” of life. He became a major player in the Nationalist movement. Francis and his cousin Edward were honored by the movement by having hundreds of Nationalist “Bellamy Clubs” appear throughout the country. Francis Bellamy and his colleagues saw the best way to enact change in the nation was through the de-privatized school system. Bellamy also happened to be one of the first people to mix the ideologies of Nationalism and Socialism.
He published his original version of the pledge in the Youth’s Companion magazine, the magazine Bellamy worked for in its premium department. The magazine was an ardent supporter of the schoolhouse flags movement and began to popularize the use of America’s flag in the class room while selling flags to schools as a premium to magazine subscription. By the time the pledge was published, Bellamy had already sold 26,000 flags. His pledge became an immediate hit. The pledge was aimed directly at the children of the nation in order to promote his ideologies. Bellamy thought of his pledge as a vaccine against “insufficiently patriotic Americans” and immigrants. He wrote “every dull-witted or fanatical immigrant admitted to our citizenship is a bane to the commonwealth.” The original pledge was phrased “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” The pledge originally was said with the kids standing outside in military formation. The kids started with a military salute followed through with the arm extended toward the flag with the palm facing downward. The salute was named the Bellamy Salute. This same salute continued to be the official salute for the pledge until the 1940s, when it was discontinued because the National Socialist (Nazi) party in Germany used an almost identical salute. The salute was replaced with the right hand placed over the heart. The Nazi salute and the Italian Fascist salute were supposedly based off an ancient Roman salute; however, there is no Roman text about such a salute, and the only Roman artworks that feature salutes all have salutes that bear little, if any, resemblance to the Nazi or Fascist salute. The oldest known reference to that kind of salute is Bellamy’s Salute.
There may be great similarities between the Nazi Salute and the Bellamy Salute, but there must be a reason as to why such totalitarian governments would adopt a similar salute. The reason can best be found in the Third Wave Experiment. In 1967, Ron Jones, a history teacher, was attempting to explain how even democratic societies can become a dictatorship. The sophomore class believed society had become too educated to fall for the appeal of tyranny. Jones was also unable to get the students to understand how the German people could plead ignorance to the Holocaust. He decided since he could not explain the concept to the students, he would show it to them. He began a movement based on a few simple concepts. The movement was called the Third Wave, and it was explicitly stated to the students the movement was meant to eliminate democracy. The name came from the “fact” every third wave in nature is stronger, larger, and generally better than all other waves in a sequence. The” fact” was a lie Jones made up in order to have the movement be based in a false assumption. Using the “fact” as an example, Jones told the students the individuality in democracy was a drawback. He initiated a short pledge for the movement: “Strength through discipline, strength through community, strength through action, strength through pride.” On the first day he drilled them on proper seating until the class could enter the classroom and quietly take their seats within 30 seconds. At the end of the first day, the students were given a few rules. They had to be sitting at attention before the bell. They had to stand to answer or ask questions. They were allowed only three words to ask or answer while having to start each question or answer with “Mr. Jones.” On the second day the class became a fully disciplined community, and he gave them a salute similar to the Nazi salute. On the third day, the movement moved beyond the class of 30 to 200 students throughout the school, and each student was given a job. Some students built a flag, other students created member cards. Some students were even told to prevent non-member students from entering their classes. The students even reported other members who failed to comply with the movement’s rules. The students would police each other without prompting. On the fourth day, Ron Jones stopped the experiment because he was losing control over it. The significance of this experiment was it focused almost entirely on a pledge and a salute. In three days a high school teacher had created a mini Nazi Germany in a California high school. Psychologically, a group of people chanting and acting together in a certain way reinforces the behavior. As Dr. Philip Zimbardo put it, “It is the perversion of the incredible power of the human mind that can do almost anything, all the magical things the mind does in terms of creativity, can be perverted to justify any evil or any transgression.” The Pledge of Allegiance creates the same group mentality as it was designed to by Bellamy. The difference is the Pledge of Allegiance has been around for more than a hundred years instead of three days. The effect the Pledge of Allegiance has had must be exponentially greater than that of the pledge of the Third Wave.
Instead of directing the focus on one man, the Pledge of Allegiance directs the focus to the state in general. Initially the Pledge reinforces the idea of the state as being the authority, with the newest version even claiming divine right in the monarchial sense. The Pledge pushes for obedience to the state from the earliest years of childhood. It is indoctrinating children into the values of the state. The Pledge specifically refers to “liberty and justice for all,” but there is nothing to prevent those words from meaning anything. All of the worst regimes in history promised liberty and justice. The Pledge allows for the current leader of the country to define what that means. In essence, the pledge is a dangerous weapon. Fortunately for America, the leader has never called for some of the radical, violent, and oppressive policies that were in the Third Wave Experiment. Unfortunately, America’s record isn’t that clean. Since the Pledge appeared, America happened to lock up all the Japanese Americans during WWII, re-segregate the public schools, and go into a few dozen illegal wars. Look at the anti-terror hype following 9/11. American rights were suddenly thrown out the window in pursuit of justice. The Patriot Act allowed for surveillance of all citizens and the recent NDAA now allows for the assassination of American Citizens. The state claimed to be going to war for “justice.” The state now claims it is striving for the “freedom (or liberty) from terrorism” while violating basic human rights including liberty in the classical sense. The state merely has to warp the definitions of a few words in order to change the entire nation. All of this can be linked directly to the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Pledge of Allegiance is dangerous because it is nothing more than a method of indoctrination to accepting a status quo. If the Pledge of Allegiance isn’t there to teach the students something, then why is it a required part of the school day in all public schools? Its sentimental value is basically worthless in school because the elementary school kids are just being introduced to it. It must have a purpose for it to be included in the curriculum. The logical assumption is it is there for the children to learn. The purpose of the children learning this pledge can only be one thing, and that one thing is its stated purpose. The purpose of the Pledge of Allegiance is to act as an inoculation against the virus of unloyalty or “insufficient patriotism” to the state. Patriotism can be defined as the desire for good for one’s country. The point of insufficient patriotism is indefinable as an absolute and must be entirely subjective to the authority, and patriotism cannot be measured. The Pledge can produce only a blind patriotism: patriotism focused on what the authority considers to be patriotism. The Pledge shifts the patriotism from the country to the government; from the people to the state. This is the curse of the Pledge.
The Pledge of Allegiance is a dangerous tool that can be used to shape generations. The Pledge is inherently designed to have kids become used to country planning, something only found in heavily socialistic or nationalistic societies. The Pledge is introduced before the children are old enough to really begin thinking for themselves, and so the ideologies in the Pledge are reinforced in the children’s minds. Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Maoist China, and other such regimes have all used similar pledges resulting in hundreds of millions of deaths worldwide. The implications of the Pledge are enormous yet vastly ignored.
You thought that you were the elect. That you were better than those outside this room. You bargained your freedom for the comfort of discipline and superiority. You chose to accept that group’s will and the big lie over your own conviction. Oh, you think to yourself that you were just going along for the fun. That you could extricate yourself at any moment. But where were you heading? How far would you have gone? … Through the experience of the past week we have all tasted what it was like to live and act in Nazi Germany. We learned what it felt like to create a disciplined social environment. To build a special society. Pledge allegiance to that society. Replace reason with rules. Yes, we would all have made good Germans. We would have put on the uniform. Turned our head as friends and neighbors were cursed and then persecuted. Pulled the locks shut. Worked in the “defense” plants. Burned ideas. Yes, we know in a small way what it feels like to find a hero. To grab a quick solution. Feel strong and in control of destiny. We know the fear of being left out. The pleasure of doing something right and being rewarded. To be number one. To be right. Taken to an extreme we have seen and perhaps felt what these actions will lead to. — Ron Jones
Bibliography
http://libcom.org/history/the-third-wave-1967-account-ron-jones.
Kubal, Timothy. Cultural Movements and Collective Memory : Christopher Columbus and the Rewriting of the National Origin Myth. Basingstoke, Hampshire, Great Britain: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
Mises, Ludwig Von. Omnipotent Government, the Rise of the Total State and Total War. New Haven: Yale UP, 1944.
“The Pledge of Allegiance — A Short History.” Oldtimeislands.org. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
Forgotten Gems: Appendix 2 – To Greatest Hits or Not to Greatest Hits
Christopher Rush
Had We But World Enough, and Time…
We would have dallied with Heartbeat City by The Cars and perhaps Savage Garden by Savage Garden and quite likely Machine Head by Deep Purple (which I listened to essentially non-stop this past summer) … and probably a few more forgotten gems of days gone by. But, as we know by now, this exciting phase of our journey together is drawing to a rapid and not necessarily premature close, so we only have time for a few more thoughts on this and that. One of the more important things to consider when entering the musical section of the Realms of Gold is whether to acquire or at least dally with the many diverse incarnations of “greatest hits” albums, or should one simply embark on a systematic, chronological listening of a band’s output in the order in which it first occurred. As with most issues worth discussing, it is not so simple a decision.
To Greatest Hits
Some bands, even the best, have so much output it may be in one’s best interest to hunker down with a greatest hits volume or two for a significant period of time, especially if one is a casual fan. Perhaps the best example of this is The Beach Boys. I certainly don’t mean this as a derogation to one of the greatest bands of all time. I’m in the process of acquiring all of their albums, but such is not a task for the layfan. Listening to their regular albums is an eye- and ear-opening experience, not necessarily always in a positive way (who knew Brian Wilson felt that way about vegetables?). Part of the issue, as we said, is the voluminous output of the band: not every album can be Pet Sounds, and not every song can be “Barbara Ann” or “Good Vibrations.” A very understandable nightmare is being stranded on a desert isle with only “Fall Breaks and Back to Winter (W. Woodpecker Symphony)” to listen to.
If one only gets a single- or double-disc greatest hits from the Beach Boys, one will most likely miss out on some rather enjoyable tunes, such as “Do It Again,” depending on which greatest hits collection one gets (the Beach Boys have several). Yet, if you do get a two- or three-disc mini-set of greatest hits, you will get most of the songs you want to hear from them on a regular basis. It will certainly save a good deal of money, especially since their entire oeuvre is extensive. Admittedly the recent re-issue series have made it more cost effective by doubling up their albums, though many of them are becoming out of print, so it still remains a bit of a challenge to get all the albums. Thus, for most people, getting some Beach Boys greatest hits will more than suffice.
Another potentially good example of bands for which a greatest hits collection would suffice is at the other end of the output spectrum, such as Guns N’ Roses. Their output is not that huge, compared to a number of popular bands, so acquiring all of their work would not be nearly as expensive. The question, though, is “do I really want to own all GNR’s material?” For most of us, the answer is most likely “no.” Sure, we would enjoy having ready access to a couple of their songs, but most of their regular albums are replete with songs we wouldn’t want to hear once, let alone multiple times. Thus, for a band such as GNR, their greatest hits compilation is a grand solution, especially as it also collects a number of non-album rarities one would like to have but would have great difficulty in cost- and time-effectiveness tracking down individually.
A third reason to get a greatest hits album is perhaps the most irritating, especially to fans who already have the entire output of their favorite band: sometimes a band (or their o’erpowering contract holders) will release a new song, a variant mix, or something not-yet-released only available now with a dozen or so songs you already have, likely in multiple formats. This is rarely enjoyable for the die-hard fan, but it could be an ideal place to start for the newcomer to the band. We are living in an age of re-releases, often with previously unreleased “bonus” material, and though this can get expensive, it is a good test for one’s level of fanaticism. As of this writing, I have all the recent U2 re-release anniversary collections … except for the Achtung Baby sets. I’m still waiting on that one, thinking it would be better for a Christmas gift than a self-purchase. Some fans, though, may intentionally reject getting a “greatest hits” album from their favorite band just to get one or two new songs, especially since they aren’t “greatest hits” in any real way. Certainly my least favorite greatest hits album I own is Collective Soul’s 7even Year Itch, which I acquired simply because it had two new songs not available anywhere else (at the time). Considering my great affinity for Collective Soul, one might find this surprising, but we shall discuss that in a moment below.
In sum, a number of good reasons exist why one should consider being satisfied with greatest hits collections: immediate access to the best music of a band’s output too numerous to collect in its entirety, immediate access to the best music of a band’s output too dissimilar to your general tastes to enjoy more than what is generally accessible, and the possibility of getting a good start on a band “new to you” with some additional bonus material you wouldn’t find in the basic album releases. As the introductory title of this examination intimates, our time in this present incarnation is intimidatingly limited — we have to make the most of it while we can. Committing to a number of bands’ entire outputs can strain one economically as well as relationally, since so many good books are out there to be read, so many good games out there to be played, and, oh yes, time with Jesus and your family. Contenting oneself to what can usually rightly be called “the best” of a band’s work can be the right solution.
Not To Greatest Hits
On the other hand, life’s brevity does not necessitate we settle for others’ opinions or conformity to the mainstream herd-like acquiescence. Radio popularity is not innately inimical to quality music, but neither is it in any real way a meaningful standard. A significant amount (if not most) of the best songs in the history of the world would not fall under the penumbra of “radio hit.” Some publically funded radio stations still play lengthy classical numbers, and some usually late-night radio hosts (who have achieved some sort of fame in other arenas) tend to delight their cultured audiences with “deep cuts” and extended tracks, but neither of those are the issue here.
Sometimes you may hear a new song on the radio that is actually good; sometimes you may hear a good classic (of liberal denotation), so the radio is not always a waste of time, but the increasing sway of the radio and its dictatorial hegemony has been a significant deterrent to the dissemination of quality music in recent decades. Perhaps we are in the waning throes of such a sway, as new media outlets are continually forcing once seemingly-implacable forces (cable television, radio stations, periodicals, the motion picture industry, and especially the increasingly outmoded “hard copy” home artifact such as an actual compact disc or even digital video disc) to rethink not only their strategies for success but also their very survival. In an information age characterized by streaming and clouds and digitization, he who controls the access to information (or music selection) will have increasing control over aesthetic direction. Perhaps the radio will no longer be king … but in any event, someone else will. Do you want to be content with accepting whatever “they” say is a band’s best music? Can you not judge for yourself whether the popular numbers are really a band’s best numbers?
If you are really interested enough in a band to actually pay for their music (admittedly, much of what I say here will make no sense to anyone under the age of 24), why not go straight for their output in the order in which they created it? See how they developed musically and lyrically; see what influences affected their styles and attitudes with each successive album. Not only will you get a better understanding of a band you claim to like, you’ll also have fewer duplicate tracks than had you started with a greatest hits album and worked backward. Additionally, you will discover potentially numerous songs you enjoy, regardless of whether they are heard over the airwaves or selected for greatest hits consideration by companies most likely equating economic prosperity with aesthetic greatness, which we all know is utter shash.
A moment ago, I mentioned my irritation with Collective Soul’s greatest hits collection. As I said, the fact I had to get 10 songs I already owned in order to acquire two new songs that aren’t even “greatest hits” was quite frustrating. Loyalty to the band won out, but the irritation still exists. Similarly, U2’s second greatest hits compilation, The Best of 1990-2000, had new songs written and released in 2002! I was glad to get them, but I would have rather gotten what the title indicated, their greatest hits during that period of time, and acquired the other songs in a forum with even more otherwise-unreleased material. Returning to Collective Soul, my main frustration with that collection is the jarring nature of the tracks in the order on the disc. To me, each Collective Soul album is a cohesive unit. I’m not saying they are all concept albums, mind you — I’m simply saying each album is a unified whole, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. To rip a few songs out of context and shuffle them with songs from other albums, jaggedly traveling back and forth in time and style, is not as enjoyable to listen to as the entire albums. This may be a personal issue, considering my great affinity for the band and their music, but it is an important issue worth considering when pondering whether or not to pursue a band’s greatest hits collection (especially as sometimes the versions of the songs you really want are non-traditional renditions without any warning whatsoever).
Thus, settling for a greatest hits album is not always the proper choice. For a band in whom you have genuine interest, delighting in their entire output in the order in which they created it and grew artistically is definitely a better choice than settling for a statistical assessment from an Entertainment Finance major whose main criterion for a good song is revenue (no offense to the business majors out there). If you are going to spend time with a band, why not be a dedicated fan and really delight in what the band has to offer, especially if it is a band whose lyrics you don’t have to blush over or skip when grandma comes into the room?
There is Always Time for What Matters
It’s not a simple “yes” or “no” question after all. Sometimes it’s a good choice to go with a greatest hits album; sometimes it’s better to invest in entire albums. When I eventually got into music listening/collecting, I did both for some bands. Naturally, I started my Queen collection with their double Greatest Hits I and II — nothing wrong with that. But now’s the time to move on to their entire history. On the other hand, I’m quite content with my Billy Joel greatest hits albums (and River of Dreams).
Certainly we are not arguing for relativity in musical quality or aesthetics. Beauty and Art are transcendental values wholly objective and not in any way subjectively constructed. Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. Instead, we have an issue in which context is king. Because “good music” is not relative, some bands are better than others. Some deserve more of your time than others. Some “great bands” can be easily condensed to one, two, or three discs of greatest hits without much significant loss. Some “one-hit wonders” have albums that deserve more attention than most people are willing to give them (e.g., The Dream Academy created a great number of enjoyable songs far beyond “Life in a Northern Town”). This way, you can discover a great number of “forgotten gems” you will treasure all the rest of your days. Music is an integral part of a quality life. There is time to find the bands and music you enjoy. There is always time for what matters.
Juvenile Justice System
Audrey Livingstone
Almost a century ago, the juvenile justice system was founded on a radical idea. Because children are so different from adults, the law should treat them in a way that complements those differences. The Progressive Era, which spanned from about 1900 to 1918, was a time of widespread social reform and provided the basis for the idea of a juvenile justice system. In 1899, states began to notice the problem of juvenile imprisonment and consequently began building youth reform homes — a place where young people could be rehabilitated, not incarcerated, regarding their issues. The public felt a responsibility to help juvenile offenders before they became immersed in crime they had already begun to take part in.
As the juvenile justice system began to develop, states took on the task of “parenting” the youths until they either changed or became adults (“parens patriae”). They were not tried in adult courts anymore, and the cases took on a more informal aspect. Oftentimes, they were not represented by lawyers, and judges took extenuating evidence and circumstance into consideration before sentencing. The juvenile justice system evolved rapidly as these changes took place. By the 1960s, juvenile courts automatically had jurisdiction over nearly all cases involving children under the age of 18. In addition, transfers into adult courts could only be made per the juvenile court’s waiver. And by 1967, new rights were available to minors: the right to receive notice of charges, the right to obtain legal counsel, the right to “confrontation and cross-examination,” the “privilege against self-incrimination,” the right to receive a “transcript of the proceedings,” and the right to “appellate review.”
Coming into the twenty-first century, there was a sudden rise in juvenile crime. This occurred specifically between the late 1980s and the late 1990s. Legislatures took action to make sure this rise in crime would not continue. In 1974, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act was modified to allow states to try juveniles as adults for some violent crimes and weapons violations. This act is what provides the most controversy regarding juvenile and criminal courts today. The question on everyone’s mind is, “Should children be allowed to be tried in criminal courts?”
Some say no, children who commit violent crimes (murder, rape, etc.) should absolutely not be tried as adults. For example, about twenty-one years ago, nine-year-old Cameron Kocher was tried as an adult for murder. He fired a rifle outside of his window and killed his seven-year-old neighbor. The prosecutor decided to try him as an adult. A few of his reasons were he lied about the murder when he was questioned about it, and he slept during pretrial motions. This showed a lack of remorse for what he had done and perhaps ignorance for the gravity of his actions. This caused a giant uproar, and consequently Kocher was sentenced as a minor.
Another similar case took place in 2009. Eleven-year-old Jordan Brown was charged as an adult with criminal homicide. He shot his father’s pregnant fiancée in the head with a shotgun. The judge originally ruled Brown would be tried in a criminal, adult court, but eventually (almost two years later) his case was transferred into a juvenile court, and he was tried there. Both of these children were sentenced to life in prison until they reached the age of twenty-one, and then they were put on probation.
Those who disapprove of children being tried in adult courts assert children are immature in three different ways: their development is incomplete, their judgment is not yet mature, and their character is still in the developmental process. Because of this immaturity, they cannot be treated as adults; they are not fully matured; they are not competent, responsible, and unlikely to change like adults are. They are still impressionable and can be rehabilitated. Can they really process information and plan crimes like adults can? Of course not, they say. Yet, we have increasingly younger children committing increasingly more violent crimes.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who believe yes, children committing violent crimes should absolutely be tried as adults. If they are old enough to make an awful decision, like killing or raping someone, they are old enough to deal with the consequences of that decision, regardless of age. For example, in February of this year, three thirteen-year-old boys assaulted and raped one of their fellow classmates, a thirteen-year-old girl, at a community park. Because they were under the age of 14, however, they were kept in a juvenile court. This caused a tremendous amount of controversy. As one woman stated on the news in response to the case, voicing the opinion of the public, “If they are old enough to gang rape, then they are old enough to be tried as adults. I have no sympathy for them.” Another stated, “What is this world coming to when they can simply walk away? And that is pretty much what will happen.”
Another case with a similar reaction took place several years ago. A two-year-old English boy was taken by two ten-year-old boys. He was mutilated and murdered. The two ten-year-old boys then placed his body on a railroad track in hopes an oncoming train would cover up what they had done to the little child. Instead, the body was found, and the boys were arrested. The general reaction was absolute horror. The fact children could do something so monstrous to a mere toddler disgusted everyone.
The children were tried in an adult court, to the public’s satisfaction, though they denied all charges brought against them — attempted abduction, abduction, and murder. The prosecuting attorney in the trial successfully rebutted the idea of doli incapax, which assumes children cannot be held responsible for their actions. Both of the young boys were evaluated by psychologists and found to have undoubtedly known the difference between right and wrong, and that purposefully causing harm to another was wrong. The court came to the conclusion it was a cold-blooded murder, and the two boys were found guilty, becoming the youngest convicted murderers of the twentieth century. The boys were kept in custody for eight years at different locations.
This point of view comes down to the fact a complete lack and disregard of morals cannot be fixed or rehabilitated. This is absolutely true. Everyone has an inner sense of right and wrong. Everyone measures someone else’s actions against that sense of right and wrong. This is why when these murder, assault, and rape cases appear in the media, the general reaction is horror. Everyone knows what that person or group of people did was wrong.
While it is true children are developmentally immature in their teenage years, they are still fully aware of the rightness or wrongness of their actions. A teenager who makes a decision to murder or kidnap someone has done just that — made the decision. All who commit a violent crime have a choice before them. Age has nothing to do with that. A child who kills someone is fully aware of that fact. The argument that child did not understand the gravity of his actions or did not understand what he did is absurd and cannot and should not be made, much less presented in a courtroom.
Everyone must be held accountable for their actions. Just because someone is under the age of eighteen does not mean he did not understand the gravity and wrongness of the crime. If a ten-year-old is old enough to murder someone, he is old enough to deal with the consequences of that murder. He is old enough to deal with those consequences without the protection and cushion of a juvenile court. Excuses cannot and should not be made for youths merely because of their age. If the severity of violent crimes committed by children was taken into account as much as their age was, they would certainly be tried as adults.
Bibliography
MacArthur, John T. and Catherine T. “MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice.” Established 1977. <http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.948173/k.D1D7/Research_Networks__Adolescent_Development_and_Juvenile_Justice.htm>.
Reaves, Jessica. “Should the Law Treat Kids and Adults Differently?” TIME. 17 May 2001. <http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,110232,00.html >.
Schwartz, Robert. “Kids Should Never be Tried as Adults.” CNN. 18 February 2010. <http://articles.cnn.com/2010-02-18/opinion/schwartz.kids.trials_1_justice-system-juvenile-justice-cameron-kocher?_s=PM:OPINION>.
Wilde, Jessica. “Juvenile Criminals Must be Tried as Adults.” The Rebel Yell. 5 March 2009. <http://unlvrebelyell.com/2009/03/05/juvenile-criminals-must-be-tried-as-adults/>.
Gangs: True Societal Bottom-Feeders, or Misunderstood Assets?
Kaitlyn Thornton Abbott
What are gangs? Gangs, by definition, are “an organized group of individuals.” When gangs are talked about, it usually comes with a negative connotation. For example, gangs are usually associated with inner cities and trouble. Albeit, it might be true there is certain criminal-esque intent behind the formation of gangs, there are aspects to gangs in neighborhoods that aren’t necessarily bad, depending on one’s perspective.
Being a part of a gang guarantees one a family environment for the rest of one’s life. Being a part of a gang ensures everyone has each other’s back, regardless of the circumstance. For example, Carlos T. Ramirez, Jr. speaks out about his life in one of the most well-known gangs in Texas. He has spent a majority of his life in prison and explains the pros and cons of being a part of a gang. When speaking about his life in the gang, he explains how they opened up their arms to him when his home life was not welcoming or loving. As he gives his testimony about his former gang life, he reminisces about how for the first time in his life, he felt like he was a part of something special. For the first time, he felt included. For the first time, he was able to call on people and have them always be there for him.
Another benefit of being a part of a gang is it gives you financial stability. The best part — it’s not taxed! No matter what one plunders, and comes to have through the glamorous life of gang membership, the government can’t take it! It’s like being a pirate, except the swashbuckling rogue has been transformed into a baggy-pants thug. Who wouldn’t love that life?
Speaking of the thug life, it’s another added benefit of being part of a gang. If one happens to have fathered a child out of wedlock, nobody is going to mess with that kid if they know the father is a member of a notorious gang. So, even if the father wants to walk out on his family, one can see he still genuinely cares about his child. Although most would consider a father walking out on his child an example of bad parenting, they should consider the positives it brings. For example, it builds character. If children are forced to stand up for themselves without having anyone to fight their battles for them, they learn how to handle themselves and to evade situations that could end detrimentally for them. It also allows the women to stand up for themselves. Feminism is a huge part of American society; having a significant other walk out on the family allows them to work and find self-realization.
Many people are hesitant to say gangs are a good faction of society. However, gangs are really only members of the police force without the badges. They all share a certain uniform, usually a bandana that marks which group they are a part of. Also, they all carry weapons. Every police officer carries weapons not only to protect themselves, but also to protect civilians who might need it, such as people in the Witness Protection Program. In comparison, gang members carry guns with them as well. Unless fired on, they usually will not use them except in self-defense or as an act of retaliation, which, essentially is what the military does.
Gangs also encourage physical activity and finesse. When one sees a gang strolling down the block, rarely does one see an obese member. They encourage one another, strongly, to stay in great physical shape. What happens if during an afternoon stroll, they are just suddenly attacked? They must be in shape to defend themselves against any enemy. Gang members can be seen at one’s local gym, but usually they will stick to working out in their own homes. Lots of times, gangs will spend quality time together by playing street sports, like football or basketball. Not only does this help build the bond between members, but it also gives them the competitive edge it takes to live the lifestyle they have chosen.
Gangs are also fantastic for reducing population. Inner cities quickly become over populated, and there is usually no motivation to move out of slums. That’s where our lovely friends come into play. If they were not there to help with population control, then it would just completely overrun the city, and there would be even more children and mothers homeless. The gangs really are a huge asset to the community; society would be lost without them.
Now, many people would not agree with my assertion gangs are a helpful part of our communities. They tend to argue gangs are dangerous, that it only leads to drug usage, violence in the home, coarse language, and traditional values are no longer held sacred; instead they are traded in for casual sex and binge drinking.
Gangs may be dangerous; there is no denial of that. But realistically, there are much more dangerous things in life than being part of a gang. For example, driving a car! It’s a huge, metal, deathtrap one willingly enters multiple times a day. Not only do you put your own life in danger, you also put others in danger, too! Being on the road is a much more life-threatening situation than being a part of gang is. If one were to compare the potential threats of simply driving to work and being in a gang, the results would be astounding. For example, Drivesafety.net gives the statistics of driving related accidents: there were 30,196 traffic related deaths in 2010. In gang-related deaths … less than three thousand per year.
Gangs also do tend to run in the drug circles. But going back to my earlier point, they are making money! They make glorious amounts of non-taxed money, which they could be saving for their college education. Not only are they using their God-given talents, they are also learning! Mixing drugs is a simple matter of chemistry. For them to create the drugs, they are learning the infinitely valuable lesson of which chemicals can mix with what without exploding. If that isn’t a valuable life lesson, I’m not sure what is.
The violence in the home isn’t created by the gang presence. The gang presence is a direct result of the violence found within the home. When the fathers continue to abuse their children, the children try to find an escape. Once they find themselves welcomed into the gang, they are taught to fight back. Self-defense is not morally or legally wrong; so the “violence” caused inside the home life is really created from the parental figures; the gangs are simply a response to how the parents treat their children.
Many people will also argue gangs have given up traditional values and traded them in for casual sex and incessant drinking. Realistically, that behavior goes far beyond the gang atmosphere. Casual sex is something Hollywood has taken upon itself to glorify, not only in the movies and television shows it produces, but also in the real lives of the actors and actresses it employs.
All in all, gangs are not the blot on society they are portrayed to be. Yes, they could use some bettering of their situation, but hey, so could we all.
White Christmas
Nicole Moore Sanborn
This year, I experienced my first white Christmas. You may be thinking “Uh…where was she about eight years ago when we had all that snow and a white Christmas??” I was in Georgia in about 70-degree weather visiting my grandparents and preparing for my leg surgery on the 27th in South Carolina. Most of you know about this surgery, so I will not take time to explain. If you’re interested in hearing the story, feel free to ask me about it later; I’m very open to talking about it. Also, if you’re wondering where I was two years ago when it snowed Christmas Eve and the 26th, I do not count that, because it didn’t snow Christmas Day.
This year, it wasn’t about the gifts for me. My family and I traveled to Washington state (it takes three flights to get there and nearly an entire day of travel) to visit my mom’s sister and mother, who we rarely see. My mom’s brother and his family came up from Nevada to join the fun. Older readers, remember the retreat story from a few years ago when Dan Hardesty told the spider cave story, and a guy named Keith was involved? Yeah, that was my uncle. True story. I got to see my cousins (mom’s sister’s kids) that are near me in age for the first time in about two and a half years. One of the guys is 21 or 22 (I’m not sure), the girl is 19, and the other guy just turned 16. They’re just about the most awesome cousins I could ever ask for. Well, the 22 year-old can be mean, but that comes with the territory. Bond, the 19-year-old (yes, her name is Bond, like James Bond, just to clarify), and I enjoyed the time together, catching up and discussing how college is going. Bond is a freshman at Baylor University this year. Britt, the 16-year-old (yes, my cousins have interesting names), is very nice. He and I had many good talks about life and learning from mistakes. Through our time together, we discovered he and I are a lot alike in struggles we either have gone through or are currently struggling with. He attempted to teach me how to play Brawl on the Wii, but I’m still very horrible at playing video games. Now, on to stories about my visit.
The first day, I interned at my aunt’s office. She is the CEO of an international Market Research and Innovation firm, called New Edge, the Brewery. While there, I listened in on part of a conference call with Pepsi. I was shown recent work the company had done with Coors Molson (yes, the beer company) and Milliken (a textile company now developing wound care products). I learned many things while at her office, and it confirmed my career aspirations. I want to go into Business Marketing, focusing on the innovation and research side of things.
I was taught how to play Settlers of Catan, a strategy game some of you might be familiar with. It is very competitive and quite fun. I won one of the games, which was surprising since I was not familiar with the game until my visit (since it is a strategy game). Admittedly, my family helped me, so I did not win entirely using my own strategy. We also played card games. Aunt Pam, Bond, and I successfully completed nearly all of the Christmas shopping December 23-24. The stores were crazy, but the three of us were surprisingly good at making quick stops at a variety of stores. A couple of days before Christmas, it snowed. I was thrilled, because this presented the possibility of experiencing my first white Christmas. Christmas morning, not all of the snow had melted. I decided to call it my first white Christmas, even if it did not officially snow that day. However, as the morning progressed, it began snowing. Bond, Britt, and I made a giant snowman, approximately 10-12 feet tall, and named him “Big Bob.” He was the biggest snowman I have ever made. Pictures are on Facebook. Unfortunately, my family and I flew back to Virginia the 26th, so our visit was cut very short. My aunt and uncle invited me to return over the summer and intern at my aunt’s office, as well as spend time with my cousins.
One of the best parts of Christmas was seeing all of my family. My younger cousins, a guy who is 12 and two girls ages nine and eight, were also with us. I was able to see my grandmother while in Washington, which was very nice. She is 83 now, and since I do not get the opportunity to see her in person often, I cherish the moments I am able to spend with her. My grandfather passed away when I was about two, so I never knew him. Flying home was bittersweet, but more adventures were to come.
We arrived home the 26th at nighttime. The 27th was spent doing laundry, working, and preparing for our next trip. The morning of the 28th, my dad and I began another adventure. We drove down to the area of Charleston, SC to visit my dad’s sister. My cousin is 24, and she was on a different vacation, so I did not get to see her. My aunt, uncle, dad, and I went on many adventures. We arrived around dinnertime on the 28th. The 29th, my dad, aunt, and I went to the USS Yorktown. For those unfamiliar, the Yorktown is an aircraft carrier used in World War II and is now open to the public. No other aircraft carrier in the country is open for the public to tour. We explored the ship, and I concluded I would not want to live on a ship like that for any period of time. While the ship is large, the bedrooms are like barracks, the restrooms are public, and the whole time you live on the ship you are confined without portholes. Inside the ship was much information about the history of the USS Yorktown, as well as information about how the sailors lived. At the site of the Yorktown, the USS Clamagore, a World War II submarine, and the USS Laffey, a much smaller World War II vessel, were also open for touring. The submarine was tiny. My dad and I had to bend down to get through all of the passageways, and living spaces were extremely cramped. Approximately 30-40 men would live on one submarine for extended periods of time. This forced good crew relations, as they lived right on top of each other. The Laffey was slightly more spacious than the Clamagore, however it would still not be fun to live on during a war.
The same day, we traveled to Ft. Sumter, where the Civil War began. Presently, the fort is basically just walls with nothing but cannons inside, but we saw pictures of what it looked like at the start of the war. Being on the fort was a neat experience, since it was where the Civil War started, and because we studied the Civil War in detail in history class.
We also visited the Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy battleship. The Hunley was a part of the Civil War. Unfortunately, all three crews that embarked in the submarine died. The submarine was tiny, and in order to get into it, the crew had to have a 20-inch waist to fit through the entrance hole. In order to make the ship move, the crew had to sit on a bench and turn a crank continuously. It was a very early model of the submarine. The Hunley was submerged in restoration water.
We also attended a local minor league ice hockey game. The Stingrays, the local team, won 3-0.
Walking the downtown area and seeing the Charleston museum was on our list as well. The downtown area was beautiful, especially walking the “Rainbow Row.” The old painted houses were beautiful, and I recommend walking downtown if you’re ever in the greater Charleston area.
We also toured a plantation. Middleton Place was very beautiful. The gardens are very well kept, and many plants were in bloom even though it was the end of December. The plantation demonstrated what times were like before the Civil War. During the war, Middleton Plantation was burned to the ground. The Plantation almost survived the war, as it was burned in the last few months of fighting. One of the three buildings was rebuilt by the family and is now a museum featuring furniture similar to that of the Middleton’s, family portraits, and memorabilia. Middleton Place kept horses, water buffalo, sheep, chickens, goats, and hogs. It was, unfortunately, a slave-owning plantation.
After visiting South Carolina, my dad and I traveled to North Georgia, near Atlanta, to visit his parents for a day. The visit was short, as we needed to return home. My grandpa is currently fighting an illness, and we wanted to visit him. My grandparents were planning to stay at my aunt and uncle’s house the same time as us but were unable when my grandpa became ill. He is receiving treatment as this article is written. His illness is not fatal. He has an auto-immune disorder. Since he is a born-again Christian, if treatment is unsuccessful he will be in a better place. I believe he will recover. My dad and I began the return home less than 24 hours after we arrived, but the visit was worth the trip.
Over Thanksgiving, my parents and I stayed at Massanutten, a resort outside of Harrisonburg, Virginia, where James Madison University is located. While staying in Massanutten, we drove a couple of hours to Luray Caverns. The caverns are worth the visit if you have never been. Another highlight included watching James Bond movies when we were exhausted. My family also drove a few minutes to the hiking trails in the Shenandoah National Park. We went on a couple of hikes and enjoyed the outdoors and scenery. On Thanksgiving, we drove about an hour and a half to Charlottesville (where University of Virginia is located) and went out to dinner (we made a reservation earlier in the week). One of my favorite memories of the trip happened on the way to Shenandoah National Park. As soon as we entered the park (we were still in our vehicle), we saw a wild black bear. The bear looked like a teenager due to his size. He was eating and digging for food on the side of the road less than 100 yards from the park entrance! My family and I stopped and watched him for a few minutes, and I have a video and pictures of him on my phone. Our family vacation to Massanutten was very enjoyable and relaxing.
As a whole, my holiday experiences this year were amazing. The time spent with my extended and immediate family was very worthwhile, and I will cherish the memories forever. My first real White Christmas, fun with cousins, and wild bear sighting were all gifts from God, and I wouldn’t trade the memories for anything.
Christmas III: A Patrick Swayze Christmas (12/8 Time, A-flat Major)
Christopher Rush
Ten issues. Where did the time go? Three Christmas specials, two music series, and a partridge in a pair of trees later, we are still going strong yet willing to go out on top. There is no tradition like a new tradition, and we were proud and glad to be a new tradition of yours for these three years. Now we will all get to start some new traditions next year without Redeeming Pandora in our lives. I’m not sure what those will be right now, but when the time comes, I’m sure we’ll all think of something.
Did we watch Santa Claus Conquers the Martians last year in Humanities? … Maybe. Was I the only one still in my jim-jams Christmas morning last year? … Yes. Did I feel bad about that? … No.
2012 has been another interesting year for us. We got to visit Dubuque again, see the family and some old friends Neil, Dave, Weber, Nate, Jessica, and Jon. That was comforting and enjoyable. My niece was born, my son learned how to walk, my daughter is developing into a selfless young girl, and my wife is even closer to a Master’s degree. Me? Well … I finally played some wargames I’ve been carrying around for years. Oh, and I read Othello for the first time, with the help of the Class of 2013, so that’s something. I also finally read Giant-Size X-Men 1, if that means anything to you. Summit saw the graduation of its largest senior class to date, all 27 of ’em … and I read every single senior thesis more than once. That was about half of my year right there, but I was glad to do it. More importantly, my wife and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past summer. We went to The Melting Pot. We went to the Outer Banks for our 5th anniversary. At this rate, we’ll probably go to the living room for our 15th anniversary. Let’s hope Domino’s will still have those yummy parmesan bread bites.
Last Christmas for us was probably the last of the great Christmases, at least in terms of all the family being together. We might not have another Christmas like that for a while, but that’s okay … we had it last year. This year promises to be good in its own way, and that’s what you have to do, really — take it one at a time. I don’t want to sound selfish; obviously recent events have turned a lot of families’ Christmases upside down, and we know Christmas is often a rough time for many families for many reasons. We are living in a fallen world, and Satan is regent over this world, even though Christ is risen and reigning. We do hope you will still find some reason to be merry this Christmas. The Light of the world is still shining.
One thing I don’t miss about Christmastime in the Midwest is driving in the snow. Sure, we’ve had a few snow days here, and one or two of them have been legitimate, but snowfall here is nothing compared to Dubuque snowfall. I’m all in favor of global warming, if it meant living in Dubuque without having to drive in the snow. If global warming was a real thing that actually existed, of course. I also don’t miss having to wetvac the basement all April long, which is another story for another time. Of course, if we were in Dubuque, it might be possible we’d actually get to sing Christmas carols at church, so … we’ll see.
Christmas is starting to mean different things as I get older. Obviously having children and no longer being part of the young generation are key factors in this metamorphosis. Sleeping on December 24th is not the challenge it used to be, most likely because my bedtime is later than it was (though not as late as it was in college, for some reason — somehow, 9 o’clock went from “oh, it’s only 9? let’s start a movie” to “it’s already 9?”). Now I’m part of the team getting the house ready for Christmas morning, moving presents and stockings and whatnot, instead of being the one imagining what the tree and couch will look like in the morning. Exhaustion settles in much easier than it used to. Though my lists are not any shorter than they used to be, there’s more difficulty in making them than there used to be. That probably sounds more materialistic than I mean it to be, but it should indicate a waning sense of acquisitiveness as I get older. Coupled with the fact our house is out of space, the desire for things just isn’t there like it used to be.
It’s interesting to look back at the old wish lists, see what moods and fancies I was in back in the day. Not too surprisingly, my fancies go in phases (common among wargamers). Some years I’m hankering for video games; some years, such as this year, I’m leaning more toward board and wargames. We are still a few years away from playing a lot of family board games, but we believe in stocking up when the deals are right. Coming from a family of gamers helps as well. The majority of the list are the typical fare: music, MST3K box sets, graphic novels, the occasional book, a classic TV series perhaps. Maybe a gift card or two. Ideas, really — not things. Experiences, ideas, opportunities for growth and improvement — these are the denizens of my wish lists.
Again, this is not to sound acquisitive. The desire for intellectual and spiritual (and emotional) experiences are what I request for Christmas. If that’s greedy, I suppose I’m greedy, then. I don’t need any new things, of course, and I am the first to admit that. I wouldn’t be disappointed if I didn’t get anything new this year. I have plenty of unread books, unplayed games, unstudied albums, and unwatched series/movies to fill up a few lifetimes. Toward that end, I have become more active in recent years about giving away things, especially books. Part of the challenge of this, though, is deciding what to give to deserving others (especially alumni) and what to keep for my children. Their interest isn’t high currently in books without pictures, but hopefully there’s time. In the meantime, if you want anything, let me know. I’ll see what I can do. If you’d like to get together for some wargaming, we could definitely work on that as well.
Lord willing, my parents will be flying in for Christmas night this year, allowing most of us to gather again for Christmas dinner (though my brother will be missed). One benefit of this is that we’ll be able to do Christmas morning two days in a row. I, for one, plan on staying in my jim-jams for both mornings. I will not feel bad about that. Some traditions are worth holding on to.
It’s time to say “farewell” to our final Christmas issue of Redeeming Pandora. Our first instinct might be to be sad to see such an entertaining and edifying part of our lives disappear, but that would be the wrong path to take. As Theodor Giesel said, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” Now go keep the old traditions worth keeping. And start a few new ones, while you’re at it.
Oh, let’s have a Patrick Swayze Christmas, one and all.
And this can be the haziest …
This can be the laziest …
This can be the Swayziest Christmas of them all!
A European Christmas
Elsa Lang Lively
Growing up in an American household, my views on Christmas and my memories associated with the holiday have stemmed from traditions such as hanging stockings, Christmas Eve services, opening presents, and family feasts. Christmas is truly the happiest season of all, not just in America, but in many other countries as well. Although European Christmas traditions can be quite similar to those of American ones, each country has its own traditions that make celebrating Christmas unique. In order to find out more about how Christmas is celebrated in Europe, let’s examine the traditions of England, Norway, France, and Italy, shall we?
The first stop on our whirlwind European Christmas tour is jolly old England. British Christmas traditions date back as far as the days of the British Druids, when they would keep holly, ivy, and mistletoe in their homes to bring peace. The Christmas tree first became popularized in England when Prince Albert had one stand in the Royal Household in 1840. Today, nearly every city and small town in England has its own Christmas tree standing in the city center to be admired by all its townspeople and visitors. Since 1947, Norway has presented England with a large Christmas tree each year that stands in Trafalgar Square to commemorate Anglo-Norwegian cooperation in World War II.
The first British Christmas card was mailed in the 1840s, and the practice of wishing holiday tidings to loved ones quickly became a common practice. Today, over a billion Christmas cards are sent across Great Britain, many of which are sent in order to aid charities. For children, the best way to send a letter full of Christmas wishes to Father Christmas is by placing them in the back of the fireplace. The draft then carries them up through the chimney and to the North Pole.
On Christmas Eve, many English enjoy caroling to their neighbors in groups, wishing them a happy Christmas. Families hang their stockings over the fireplace in order to find goodies in them the next morning. Children leave mince pies and wine out for Father Christmas, as well as a carrot for his reindeer.
On Christmas morning, presents are unwrapped and the Christmas Day feast is prepared. A traditional British Christmas feast features a roast turkey, goose, or chicken with stuffing and roasted potatoes. This is then followed with mince pies and Christmas pudding flaming with brandy. “Figgy” pudding done right takes weeks to prepare, with occasional stirring by each family member (if you stir the pudding, you get to make a wish). Some families also prepare a Christmas fruitcake made with marzipan, icing, and sugar frosting. Many children enjoy breaking open their Christmas crackers during the feast, which are not, in fact, edible crackers at all, but brightly colored tubes that can contain riddles, toys, or other trinkets.
After the family feast, families all across England gather around the radio or television to hear the annual Queen’s Christmas Message. Some families attend Christmas services at a local church. The next day is known as Boxing Day, a holiday that first began in order to give deliverymen and other city employees who worked throughout the year a gift of money or food in a Christmas box. These days, the holiday is more commonly celebrated by tipping milkmen, postmen, and other servicemen during the Christmas season.
Norwegians have their own unique Christmas traditions as well. A Nordic Christmas is characterized by its celebration of light, as the winter months in Scandinavian countries are cold and dark, with the sun setting around three or four o’clock in the afternoon on a daily basis. Holiday celebrations begin on December thirteenth with Santa Lucia day. Santa Lucia, the “Queen of Lights,” was actually a Sicilian saint from the fourth century who helped persecuted Christians by guiding them through tunnels wearing a wreath with candles on her head. She was eventually martyred for her faith and her aiding of the poor. Historians are not exactly sure how Santa Lucia day came to be celebrated in Scandinavia, but some speculate the story of Santa Lucia was told to the Nordic peoples when missionaries from southern Europe spread the gospel to Scandinavians in order for the Scandinavians to have an idea of what true faith looked like. Traditionally, Norwegian girls wear white robe-like dresses with a red sash and have a crown of either candles or electrical lights perched upon their heads as they deliver lussekattor, saffron buns, to those in their families and schools as well as to those in nursing homes and hospitals.
Norwegians also use mistletoe and Christmas trees like the British, a tradition that started with Norse pagans and remained alive even when Christianity spread across Scandinavia. Christmas trees are kept simple, yet beautiful, decorated with only white lights and candles and a star on top of the tree. During this time of year, Norwegians put candles on the graves of loved ones as well as a sign of remembrance and honor, where they are lit on Christmas Eve.
Each country has its own version of Santa Claus, and Norway is no exception. The Norwegian version is called the Julenisse, which literally translates to “Christmas goblin or gnome.” Although the Julenisse originally was a mischievous Christmas elf or forest gnome who watched over the farm and the animals, he has become more similar to the American Santa Claus over the years. These days, he now possesses the ability to ride in a sleigh transported by reindeer and ask children if they’ve been good over the course of that year. Children faithfully set out Christmas porridge on their doorsteps on Christmas Eve for the Julenisse.
On Christmas Eve, Norwegians attend a five o’clock Christmas service at church before starting a traditional Christmas feast with their families. The feast usually consists of a roast goose or duck, pickled herring salad, and a plethora of desserts, including a julekake, a fruitcake, and a kransekaka, a marzipan tower. The feast is then followed by the joining of hands to form a circle around the tree, where the entire family sings carols and walks around the tree while keeping formation. Then, a knock at the door signifies the arrival of presents from the Julenisse, and gifts are opened while coffee and cakes are enjoyed. After all the singing and unwrapping is finished, family members wish each other “God Jul!” before heading to bed.
Heading on down to France, Christmas begins with the shopping for items for the Christmas feast in the marchés de Noël. These Christmas markets have beautifully displayed decorations for French homes as well as abundant amounts of fresh produce and seafood from various regions of France. Because the French culture is largely centered around cuisine, the preparations for the révillion de Noël, the large Christmas feast, are essential to the French. Depending on the region of France, this meal could include roast goose, turkey, foie gras, or oysters served with a vast array of local cheeses and good wine. For dessert, the traditional Yule log cake, called la bûche de Noël, is served along with other treats.
Before the révillion de Noël, however, families attend midnight mass at a local church or cathedral. No matter the size of the church, light shines throughout the building from multiple candles, representing the birth of the Light of the World. Carols and hymns are sung, and the echoes of bells and organs can be heard throughout the city or village. Usually young children do not attend the midnight mass but instead go to bed early after placing their shoes by the fireplace to receive candy and gifts from Père Noël the following morning. Interestingly enough, a law was passed in 1962 stating all letters sent to Père Noël would be replied to with a postcard. So when children send their Christmas lists to Père Noël from school, they know they will receive a response shortly.
Christmas trees, or sapins de Noël, are traditionally decorated with candy, fruit, nuts, and small toys either several days before Christmas or the night before. Although Christianity is not as prevalent in France these days, many families still place une crèche, a manger, inside or outside of their homes to commemorate the birth of Jesus. To many, this is their way of wishing “Joyeux Noël!” to all those passing by.
In France, holiday festivities do not end after Christmas Day or even New Year’s Day, but instead last up until the sixth of January, the day of Epiphany. This holiday celebrates the visits of the Magi to the baby Jesus, when they presented him with their gifts. On Epiphany, families celebrate by eating une galette des rois, a wafer king cake. Inside the cake is une fêve, typically a small porcelain figure or a bean, which ends up in one person’s slice. The one who finds la fêve in his or her piece of cake is declared king for a day and can choose his or her companion.
Venturing even more south, an Italian Christmas is celebrated starting in early December with La Festa di San Nicola, L’Immacolata Concezione, and La Festa di Santa Lucia. Unlike the children of other European countries, Italian children are known to write letters of love and gratitude to their parents instead of to a Father Christmas or Santa Claus. These letters are placed under their fathers’ plates and are read following the Christmas Eve meal.
Although some Italian families, primarily those living in the northern parts of Italy, put evergreen trees in their homes, many families’ primary decoration is a ceppo, a wooden frame shaped as a pyramid that holds a manger scene at the bottom and fruit, candy, and small gifts on the other higher shelves. This pyramid is called a “Tree of Light” and is decorated on the sides with shiny paper and candles and topped with a star or small doll.
Italian Christmas Eve feasts differ depending on the region, although many families enjoy dishes of eels and other seafood along with a Milanese cake called panettone. On Christmas Day, the pope gives his blessing to crowds gathering in Saint Peter’s Square. Children enjoy going around neighborhoods singing traditional Christmas carols and wishing “Buon Natale!” to the elderly.
Interestingly enough, Italian children anxiously await an annual visit from la Befana, a kindly old witch who brings gifts to children on January sixth, the day of Epiphany. Santa Claus does not seem to be as important in Italy. According to legend, la Befana was asked for directions by both the Magi and the shepherds when they were on their way to visit the baby Jesus. When they asked her to accompany them and see the baby for herself, she refused. Later that night, she saw a great light in the heavens and wished she could have gone with them to visit Jesus. She collected all the toys that belonged to her child who had died and tried to find Jesus in the stable. Unfortunately, she was unable to locate the stable and was left wandering. Each year, she brings toys to good Italian children and coal to the bad ones while roving the streets attempting to find baby Jesus.
These European Christmas traditions have truly stood the test of time, remaining a part of each country’s culture over hundreds of years. As both Europeans and Americans alike have moved away from Christianity over the years as a whole, Christmas is a time of year that unites many people groups under the celebration of the birth of the true High King. So wherever you are in the world, remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. Merry Christmas!
Sources
http://french.about.com/cs/culture/a/christmas.htm
http://italian.about.com/library/weekly/aa120600f.htm
http://mylittlenorway.com/2009/12/julenisse-decorative-christmas-elves/
http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article557
http://www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-england.htm
The Culinary Ride of Your Life
Audrey Livingstone
As the most wonderful time of the year comes upon us once again, I can’t help but be reminded of all of the wonderful memories I have of past Christmas holidays. And most of those memories involve food. I will be the first to say the most important thing to focus on during this wonderful holiday season is the birth of our Savior, but I would like to remind you Jesus Himself commands His people to feast! Take, for instances, the feast of Tabernacles, ancient Jewish weddings (which included at least three days of eating, drinking, and dancing), Passover, and the coming Wedding Supper of the Lamb. So many important events include feasts — why should Christmas be any different?
Now that I have established the importance of feasting, I would like to share some of my very favorite Christmas foods with you all. Consider yourselves extremely privileged, because some of these recipes have never been seen by eyes not belonging to a Livingstone. These dishes date back … well … quite a while. As long as I can remember, my parents would cruelly deny me of food after a very small breakfast on Christmas Day. In my wise old(er) age, I now understand why they did this. At the time, however, I merely became cranky and would disappear to my room with my sister and fawn over our new presents until I was called back downstairs when dinner was ready.
Let me establish that large holiday meals are not only a time to enjoy amazing food but also the company of one’s family. I am perhaps exaggerating the importance of Christmas food in my eyes for the purpose of this article (though not very much). You may consider me a glutton right now, but I guarantee you after you finish this article and perhaps prepare some of these life-changing dishes, you will be thanking me profusely. As such, I would like to say “you are welcome” in advance. But enough dilly dallying — let’s get to the good stuff.
I suggest beginning this feast with a nice glass of sparkling grape juice, since no student reading this is old enough to drink alcohol. But you can put it in a nice wine glass (that’s what I always do). Next, have a piece of bread (or two). I personally love Sister Schubert’s Yeast Rolls, but a nice French loaf is swell as well. After this, you are adequately prepared for the real food. Beef brisket braised in red wine, Palace Potatoes, macaroni and cheese (of the best variety), cornbread stuffing, and Granny Kathleen’s chocolate pie follows.
Beef brisket braised in red wine is the only way to eat beef brisket, in my humble opinion. The Burgundy and Worcestershire sauces and tomato paste come together to form a sultry, rich, unique flavor that complements the tender brisket perfectly. The smooth, creamy sauce and the textured meat taste absolutely magnificent together. And, this sauce from the gods also goes perfectly with mashed potatoes if you have any of it left over.
Moving from the succulent brisket, we come to the Lady’s Cheesy Mac. This, my friend, is no ordinary macaroni and cheese. It is mac and cheese on steroids. Unlike most macaroni cooked on the stove, this is baked in the oven, which browns the cheese on top. This provides a delightful diversity of textures. The crunchy top layer and the soft, melted inside are perfectly suited. The cheddar cheese and the sour cream serve to make this classic dish especially creamy and smooth.
After this culinary delight, we come to Palace Potatoes. This is quite possibly the best dish of them all. Don’t be frightened by the ingredients. Just because you can practically feel your arteries clogging as you savor its richness doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat it. I would advise you to view consumption of Palace Potatoes as an experience. This may sound silly. It isn’t. This is serious stuff, Summiteers. As you eat Palace Potatoes, you are transported to a rich and buttery paradise. You may, in fact, find it difficult to stop eating them. I know I do. (Who says all good things have to come in moderation? Not me.) But stop you must in order to save room for cornbread stuffing and Granny Kathleen’s chocolate pie.
Cornbread stuffing may sound like an interesting choice for a Christmas Day feast. I have never questioned it, because it is part of the Livingstone tradition. I would ask you to do the same. Cornbread stuffing has never been my favorite meal. It’s a bit of an underdog compared to these other dishes. However, I pay it its due respect because in the Livingstone home, stuffing is somewhat of a long-serving dish. I can’t remember a holiday without it. It’s fluffy and soft, which is nice. And who doesn’t love cornbread? But really, I view this as more of a speed bump. It slows you down before the grand finale. The grand finale, of course, being Granny Kathleen’s chocolate pie.
This, my friends, is one of the most prized Livingstone recipes ever to have existed. And if my Granny Kathleen were still alive, she would probably hunt me down for publishing it. However, I feel the need to share this with you. This chocolate pie is no ordinary chocolate pie. It is the champion, the MVP of them all, if you will. This is why the recipe I include below calls for enough ingredients for two pies. You simply will not be able to stop after one slice, and neither will your family and friends. So, sit back, take a bite, and let your taste buds transport you to chocolaty bliss. After all of these dishes, and only after all of them, are you permitted to terminate this feast of all feasts. You may encounter obstacles; you may doubt your ability to persevere; you may feel as if you cannot make it through one more dish. But you can, my friend, you can persevere. And persevere you must.
Brisket of Beef Braised in Red Wine
Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients
- (1) 4-5 lb. lean beef brisket
- Seasoned salt
- 4-5 medium onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 bottle (750ml) red Burgundy wine
- 1 cup water
- 3-4 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Sprinkle the brisket generously with seasoned salt, and place it fat side up in a heavy roasting pan or kettle that can go into the oven. Roast uncovered for 25 to 35 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle the onions evenly over the top of the meat. Stir together the garlic, Burgundy, water, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the liquid around the meat and cover the pan. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. and continue cooking for 4 hours or longer until very tender.
Lift the meat from the liquid, and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, use a slotted spoon to transfer the onions to a blender or food mill, reserving all the pan juices. Process to a smooth sauce, and add just enough of the reserved liquid to thin to the desired consistency.
To serve, carve the meat across the grain. Arrange the slices on a warm platter, and spoon sauce over them to coat evenly. Serve extra sauce on the side.
This recipe may be cooked several days in advance. Cool the meat to room temperature, wrap, and refrigerate. It may be sliced when cold, arranged in serving dish, and covered with sauce. Reheat at 325 degrees F. for about 45 minutes or until hot.
Palace Potatoes
Yield: 8-10 servings
Ingredients
- 8-10 large potatoes
- 4-8 tablespoons of butter cut into pieces (DO NOT SUBSTITUE WITH MARGARINE)
- Seasoned salt to taste
- 2 cups of heavy cream
Directions
Boil the potatoes in water for 20 minutes or until almost done. Drain, cool, then peel and cut them into ⅛th inch slices. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a 13x9x2-inch baking dish, layer one-third of the potato slices, one-third of the butter, and a sprinkling of seasoned salt. Repeat this two times. Pour the heavy cream over top and bake for one hour or until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown. Let your taste buds transport you to paradise.
The Lady’s Cheesy Mac
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total Time: 1 hour, 5 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 55 min
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 3 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot add the cheddar. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Top with additional cheese if desired.
Cornbread Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter, melted
- 1 cup dried onion
- 1½ cup diced celery
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1½ teaspoons sage
- 1 teaspoon of thyme
- 1½ teaspoons of pepper
Cornbread mix
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After cornbread mix has been mixed, sauté the butter, dried onion, diced celery, salt, sage, thyme, and pepper. Add to the cornbread mix. Bake for one hour and serve warm.
Granny Kathleen’s Homemade Chocolate Pie
Yield: 2 pies
Ingredients
- 2 deep dish pie crusts, baked and cooled
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2 12-oz. cans of evaporated milk
- 6 Tbsp. of cocoa
- 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 5 eggs
- A dash of salt
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- ½ stick of butter
Directions
Sift cocoa, all-purpose flour, and salt. Put in a large pot. Add milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture is thick (this may take a little while). Pour the chocolate mixture evenly into the two pie crusts. Refrigerate. Top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Serve cold.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Yield: 2 pies worth
Ingredients
- 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
- 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar
Directions
Place bowl and beaters into the refrigerator or freezer until they are very cold. Put one pint of heavy whipping cream into the bowl, and add the powdered sugar. Start the beaters on a low setting, and begin to beat the mixture. Every few minutes, move the beater up to a higher setting. Do this until the beaters are on their highest setting and the mixture is completely whipped. Distribute evenly over the pies.
Redeeming Pandora 