Diverse City - The Brandeis Hoot - 09-26-08

V O L . I I I , N O. V

C E L E B R A T I N G T H E P R E C I O U S H U M A N TA P E S T R Y

SEPTEMBER 26, 2008

Nas graces Brandeis with his presence Activist rap legend may just be what Brandeis has been missing out on (or blinged-out as they say) Cross-laden chain. The girl next to me almost screamed my ear off… the show was On September 20, 2008 Nasir Jones, aka ready to begin. In something of an unNasir Ben Olu Dara, aka Nastradamus, aka expected move, he chose to start with Nasty Nas, but more commonly known as some of his new, more controversial simply Nas, graced Brandeis University with pieces. Songs like "N.I.G.G.E.R.", his presence to our extreme delight. which he opened with, and the song Before he blessed the stage, we had no- "Testify", which begins with the line “I table performance from up and coming art- just burnt my American flag, and sent ist John Hope ( that “favorite verses” section three cracker Nazis to hell and I’m sad” of is performance was ill) and were thor- were made somewhat less awkward oughly prepped by Nas personal superstar with explanation of context from Nas DJ Green Lantern. himself (apparently he is voicing the When Nas took the stage, however things ethos of one of his comrades that has took on a whole different nature. Gone were been driven mad by the world’s trouthe “we want Nas” grumbles and mumbles, bles) and the fact that half the audience the idle stares from people who had obviknew the words to ously enjoyed some the song and were “herbal therapy” before Nas continually reminded the singing along. the show, the general Nonetheless song audience that we, as the next nonchalant attitude of choices like these much of the crowd. generation, are not only a force did come with hints of What took its place was to be reckoned with, that the uneasiness and tension kind of inexplicable. older generation fears, but that which were no doubt inIt’s like we all became we are the only ones who can tended to yield a reaction one giant fifteen year from the audience. This, and will change the world old girl who just met in no way, detracted the Jonas Brothers… from Nas’ performance. and I’m ok with that.

Honestly if you bought Nas received his applause in his marked a ticket you came to see Nas hoping, if not fashion, stepping onto stage with a regal air, expecting, some controversy and “fight the more monarch than mc. After about five system” ideology. And in that department minutes he had stripped down to his jeans, Mr. Nasir Jones definitely did deliver. sneakers, tank-top and diamond encrusted In between songs, Nas continually remindBY JUSTIN PIERRE-LOUIS Staff

ed the audience that we, as the next generation of scientists, leaders, politicians, etc. are not only a force to be reckoned with, that the older generation fears, but that we are the only ones who can and will change the world and fix all that is wrong with it today.

Aside from this Nas kept out of political discourse stating that he believes not in politics but in people.

Nonetheless he performed his song “Black President” in which he attested to his support of Barrack Obama, not on the bases of his political merits (because as he had said ten seconds before he doesn’t affliliate

PHOTO BY Napoleon Lherisson/The Hoot

himself with politicians) but solely on the type of person Nas believes him to be and the type of leadership Nas believes Obama will perpetuate. The last bit of controversial performance was by far the most fun to get into.

In the song "Sly Fox", Nas rips into much of media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s empire including Fox News, CBS and The New York Post for their inaccurate portrayals of himself and skewed view of politics. One of the wittiest lyrical attacks had to be “They say

See NAS p. 13

A Correspondence with President Reinharz

BY MAXWELL PRICE Editor

The following is a compilation of questions-and-answers drawn from an e-mail to University President Jehuda Reinharz. Diverse City selected the questions posed from submissions made via a Facebook group.

The questions were selected editor Maxwell Price.

Maxwell Price: Is the university committed to promulgating Louis Brandeis' views on Zionism? If not, why is the faculty and administration encouraged to invoke his name in a multitude of other fields ("social justice" comes readily to mind) but not when it comes to Israel?

Jehuda Reinharz: As you know, Brandeis is a non-sectarian university. The university does not take political positions.

MP: Taking into consideration the close student election last year where a plan to install a solar-panel system on a prominent Brandeis building only lost by 17 votes, and the outcry and disappointment expressed by much of the student body after the election winner was announced, would the President

and administration consider investing in a tangible project to provide energy through alternative, sustainable energy sources such as wind or solar to the campus?

JR: Over the years, the university has spent literally millions of dollars on energy conservation and energy sustainability measures.

If you have not already done so, I urge to speak with Mr. William Bushey, Brandeis's Energy Manager.

MP: Does the university consider the potential consequences of overbuilding our campus? Do we really need another admissions center, science building, or other piece of concrete obstructing the students from nature? Consider psychological studies that have proven that the happiest and thus most conscientious students are those that are exposed to the outdoors, with large open, green spaces not closed in by concrete and metal.

JR: The university has a master planning process to which it adheres. The university has no more buildings today than it did 20 years ago. In fact, during my presidency, we have removed 19 buildings and added 8. There are presently 89 buildings on cam-

pus, the fewest in the past 20 years. As new buildings are constructed, others are razed, as in the case of the science building, the admissions center, and the new Ridgewood residence hall. We have systematically added green space to the campus whenever possible. For example, the Great Lawn in front of the Shapiro Campus Center used to be a parking lot for 150 cars.

MP: Do you support gender neutral housing on the Brandeis Campus? If so, why is it being delayed? If not, for what reasons (moral, ethical, political, practical etc...) do you oppose it?

JR: I do not personally have a position on gender neutral housing. Have you spoken to Dean Sawyer about this issue?

MP: How long have the [Carl J. and Ruth] Shapiros been involved in the Brandeis community? How has the University's relationship with the Shapiros shaped the campus over the years?

JR: The Shapiro family has been involved with Brandeis for more than half a century, starting with Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro's first gift to the university in 1950. In addition to the new Carl J. Shapiro Science Center and

the new Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center, the Shapiro family's benefactions to Brandeis include the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Center for Library Technology and Journals, the Carl J. Shapiro Chair in International Finance, the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Campus Center, and a major gift in 2004 for the new Heller School building. Mr. Shapiro joined the Board of Trustees in 1979 and is presently a trustee emeritus. His daughter, Mrs. Rhonda Zinner, has served on the Board of Trustees since 1992 and is vice chair of the Heller School Board of Overseers. The family is among the university's most generous and devoted supporters.

MP: How is the university making concrete efforts to increase diversity among the student body? How can Brandeis maintain a balance between tradition and cultural diversity?

JR: The university has always sought to have as broadly diverse an undergraduate student body as possible. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by, "How can Brandeis maintain a balance between tradition and cultural diversity?" Can you explain what that means?

DID YOU KNOW?

IN THIS EDITION:

Creative writing continued Write p. 12

Inaugural P.O.Y.A. column Privilege, Power and Responsibility p. 11

Worldwide subscriptions to Internetbased television platforms are predicted to increase by 64% in 2008.

September 26, 2008

VOICES

Diverse City

11

Privilege, Power, and Responsibility A future defendant’s pre-emptive testimony

BY MAXWELL PRICE Editor

How can you start a revolution when you are “the man?”

The preceding line might sound like just a cute hook to catch the attention of the reader. But it encapsulates better than any other expression I know the dilemma I face in trying to spark a revolution.

One of my dear friends posed that question to me recently in a meeting of what I like to call the Pissed Off Youth of America (P.O.Y.A.) Brain Trust. (See the special supplemental section, p. 14-17 for some of their manifestos.) It came in response to a joke I like to make about being the “Rupert Murdoch” of Brandeis based on the power I enjoy as both the editor of the arts/culture section of the campus’s community newspaper, the Hoot, and as co-music director of the radio station, WBRS. Of course I never had the slightest notion of attaining these positions to start a revolution. I came into these roles simply because I like writing and music. I won’t deny that my writing talent was partially responsible for landing me the role of editor of the disgustingly named Diverse City section (soon to be changed to Tabula Rasa), but my attainment of the music director post had more to do with a void in the department than any personal gifts.

What do my roles in these media outlets have to do with the central conundrum at hand? These two posts, as small and inconsequential as they might seem (the perennial question about WBRS: “Does anyone actually listen to it?”) represent power. I can print a scathing indictment of the school administration that might trigger a response simply because I have the resources to disseminate information on a broader scale than most students. My personal favorite band could end up playing at Chum’s coffeehouse because I have access to thousands of dollars that other students do not. It’s a funny situation: I write my name on a list, end up as comusic director, and suddenly find thousands of dollars at my fingertips courtesy of the university who I’m paying thousands of dollars to attend. Go figure.

But the friend who posed that weighty question to me at our revolutionary meeting had more than student-run university institutions in mind. She was talking about my gender, my race, and my social class among other commonly used social descriptors. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m part of the Brandeis majority: the white, middle class Jews.

I also happen to be a male. I also live in a brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, which my parents own (we rent out the top three floors). I also have two proud lawyer parents.

They have given me the opportunity to travel around the world, from France to Mexico to China. I go to concerts and plays in Manhattan. I eat in fine restaurants. So clearly, you can see why I’m “the man.”

So what right does my rich white Jewish ass have to start a revolution? What more could I want? Why am I not content? Who am I speaking for when I say “we, the pissed off youth of America?”

I could try to answer those questions, but they don’t deserve your time. Or mine.

I have a responsibility to start a revolution because I have access to resources that very few people even dare to dream about.

I worked in Harlem this summer teaching theater and health to kids who are working like crazy to try to achieve the things I had at birth. Unfortunately, no matter how hard

they try certain barriers in society prevent them from achieving those privileges. (I will not try to enumerate those privileges here, but Peggy McIntosh’s “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” offers a good start.) But you don’t even have to go to Harlem to see how racism affects our society. I had two friends from Boca Raton, Florida, my original hometown, who were falsely accused of and arrested for vandalism despite an utter lack of evidence (the arrest took place near our school in West Palm Beach, Florida).

One is black (of mixed Haitian and Jewish descent) and the other is Colombian. The state dropped the charges on my best friend, Andrew, after his GPA convinced a DA that he was a “good kid.” Funny the way our society judges young people.

But I’ll never face that sort of discrimination simply because I am white and I wear nice, clean clothes from trendy stores like Urban Outfitters.

Nor will I ever face discrimination based on my gender. When my friend, Kate, rants to me about her struggles with femininity in the context of the University of Miami’s superficial South Beach culture, I can only shake my head and say, “that sucks,” without truly knowing how she feels.

I am also a practicing Jew, which puts me in an interesting place in American society.

In Boca Raton I can walk the streets like a king, while several hours north I’d have to watch my back. At Brandeis I can feel secure that when I talk about Rosh Hashanah plans, but at the University of Texas, I’d probably have a very different experience during the High Holy Days.

But as we know from people like Carl and J. Ruth Shapiro, whose influence can be felt not only on a Brandeis campus but also in institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Jews can reach quite high socioeconomic levels in society. And Jewish philanthropist money seems incredibly fungible, whether it’s funding my internship to teach poor black kids art or building a new science center at Brandeis. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but it’s something we should consider.

I can write the above paragraph, because I don’t run an institution that relies on funding from the Shapiros. President Reinharz, on the other hand, has to write a puff piece response to a question about that family’s influence if he wants a new admissions center built (see the interview: p. 8). I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. I’m more skeptical about the following answer: “I'm not sure I understand what you mean by, ‘How can Brandeis maintain a balance between tradition and cultural diversity?’ Can you explain what that means?”

I won’t explain it, because I don’t need to explain it. If you’ve ever checked out the fourth pillar of Brandeis or considered why Jimmy Carter chose our university as a forum to speak to the Jewish community you get it. If you’ve ever wondered why so much intellectual discussion remains tinged with Judaism (“Judaism through Chinese Eyes,” anyone?) you get it. When I tried to do research in the library on small town middle America for a report on Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio and kept finding articles about Jews, I got it.

I’m a proud Jew. I like learning about Jewish things. I like having the option of attending several different types of services for Shabbat services. But I also listen to gangsta rap and speak Spanish. So what am I really?

I’m a Brandeis student.

Brandeis has such incredible diversity programs that President Reinharz doesn’t have

to pretend not to realize that they’re addressing the tension between our school’s dominant liberal Jewish middle class culture and those individuals who fall outside the paradigm. POSSE gave Daniel Acheampong ’11 (see p. 13) the opportunity to learn research and marketing skills in one of America’s largest media conglomerates based on demonstrated leadership and academic strengths, althrough he might not have otherwise has access to those resources. I was delighted to stumble into a Muslim Iftar meal funded by the university earlier this week. And I couldn’t help but smile when I received a message from President Reinharz about the first annual Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize, awarded for “…outstanding and lasting scholarly contributions to racial, ethnic and/or religious relations.”

I’m not starting a revolution against the Brandeis administration, because I believe they’re doing, on the whole, a fine job providing educational resources and opportunities for Brandeis students to become—to paraphrase the mission statement of the organization where I worked this summer, TRUCE/Harlem Children’s Zone—positive agents of personal and social change. I just think we shouldn’t be afraid to admit the challenges inherent in our school’s history and legacy.

The truth is, if America were more like Brandeis University—a place where the serious study of real problems takes center stage within an accepting cultural environment—I wouldn’t need to start a revolution.

But America just gets scarier and uglier every day, and I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to try to change our nation’s course.

I’m not going to list the problems we face in this country, because I believe that the majority of Americans can rattle off a list of actions by our government, corporations, and media that piss them off. (If you can’t, see p. 14-17.) But many people aren’t in a position to question the dominant authorities lest they risk losing their jobs, health insurance, or, heaven forbid, the support of rich Jewish philanthropists.

The reason that I have a responsibility to start a revolution is because I don’t have to worry about those things. I’ll never wonder where my next meal is coming from. I’ll never have to worry about getting an excellent education and all the benefits it brings.

I’ll never have to worry about having access to contraceptives and health care. So I can afford to take a risk and try something that hasn’t been tried.

Why bother? Perhaps I ought to just move to Canada or Western Europe and give up our country as a lost cause.

I can’t do that because I love America.

When my great grandparents stepped off the boat from Russia at Ellis Island, they actually kissed the earth, because they knew that they’d escaped oppression to arrive at the land of opportunity. But the America of today is no land of opportunity. We divide ourselves according to how we were born rather than finding shared values that only come with unified action. That’s why America needs disillusioned conservatives and self-righteous liberals, Democrats and Republicans, poor and rich marching together in the streets side by side. That’s why America needs Pissed Off Youth of America (P.O.Y.A.).

Like many Brandeis students, I consider myself a liberal. And like many Brandeis students, I’ll be voting for Barack Obama in November, because I believe that extraordinary intelligence, the ability to inspire passion, and optimism are good qualities in a

GRAPHIC BY Alex Doucette/The Hoot

president. But he’s also a black man, and that’s means that a great deal of conversation goes on in my Park Slope brownstone about whether or not this country is ready for that leap. No matter what he does, he’ll still face resistance because of the way he was born.

I expect people to criticize me because of how I was born. Feel free to stereotype me as a Jewish socialist, rich liberal egotist, or a terrorist. As long as you understand that you’re wrong.

Who’s to say that a bunch of angry young people in the part of the country with the largest concentration of angry young people can’t start a revolution to change America? Whether Barack Obama or John McCain gets elected president, America needs P.O.Y.A., because our nation’s problems lie not just with a government administration but with the interconnected systems that shape our lives.

It’s no coincidence that angry young people tend to spell trouble for corrupt regimes.

As I’ve already noted, we have less attachment to the systems that control the lives of most Americans. I don’t own a credit card. I don’t own a house. I’d like to own them both soon, but if all else fails I have a comfy pullout couch in the basement of my parents’ Park Slope brownstone.

I’ve been waiting for this revolution for years. The Bush administration has given us so many reasons to protest that it seems absurd that no cohesive resistance movement has yet formed. But I’m tired of waiting, and I have the resources, so why shouldn’t I try?

I’m not going to apologize for the person I am. And I’m not going to apologize for trying to use free speech and civil disobedience to change the country. I’m proud of myself and what I’m about to accomplish.

And that’s revolutionary.

I don’t feel nostalgia for the sixties, because I know that our generation can be better than the sixties. We have the tools, we have the knowledge, we have the passion, and you’d better believe we have the anger.

Now all we need is the spark.

When this issue of the Hoot comes out, I won’t be standing on the Great Lawn with a megaphone. I’ll be in a class called Political Economy of the Third World learning about development strategies to raise the living standard of some of the poorest people on earth. Then I’ll go to film class, where I’ll study how filmmakers use specific techniques to elicit an emotional or intellectual response via one of the most powerful forms of media. And before I finally have the opportunity to pick up my copy of the issue, I’ll be in Global Economy class, trying to understand how one country’s economic situation impacts the entire global system.

To prove that P.O.Y.A. is something new, exciting and different, I’ll answer the question that was asked of me, and I’ll answer it in a way that’s never been done before.

Liza Behrendt: How can you start a revolution when you are “the man?”

Maxwell Price: I don’t know.

Editor's Note: In addition to this issue's fourpage spread, P.O.Y.A. will be a regular column in Diverse City.

12

Diverse City

CHORUS

FICTION

Write (continued) “Hmmm…” she nodded again and finally took a sip of tea.

“Mom’s birthday is coming up.

What do you want to do for her?”

“That’s it? No chastising? No Editor’s Note: The first installment ‘I told you so’? No harsh words of this story appeared in the September or wise advice? What happened 19 issue of Diverse City, in which to your usual hunger for vindicaan unnamed protagonist struggled with tion?” writer's block after an unsatisfying one “Stop talking like a pretentious night stand with his best friend. longwinded prick. You sound like Each gasp rattled his smoky Dad, and no, I’m not going to exlungs. With one last agonizing ternalize your guilt.” push he made it to the crest of the “Stop talking like a therapist, you hill, conquering fatigue. Quickly, sound like Mom.” he skid stopped, pausing momen“So have you spoken to Antarily to prepare his exhausted legs nah about for the grueling your— adrenaline rush Sarah was trapped by many things.

“No, she that would be By her boring desk job that “pays went out his descent. the rent,” by her parents who pay this mornWith a gulp of for her expensive therapy sessions, ing to get humid air he I by her ambiguous sexuality, by her coffee. dropped onto left her a fear of rejection, by her sense of the slope and note on the resisted the duty. fridge sayacceleration. ing that I All the way took my down he felt bike to his legs spinning out of control. meet you.”

Suddenly, the light changed. His “Ha. Well, at least you made it sweaty hands grasped the chopped clear how desperate you were for handlebars and closing his eyes, he an excuse to get out of that house. plummeted through the red light, You just had to ask her to move in just escaping the large SUV that with you.” honked at his rear reflector.

“Here it comes, the ‘I told you Coasting up to a weathered so.’” parking meter, he hopped grace“Well, I just don’t understand fully off the smudged yellow seat, how you could have pictured it slipping a lock around the frame. working out any differently. That Then he sauntered into the dingy girl is clearly in love with you. And café, still reeling from his near you are not the most, shall we death experience. say, conscientious person when it Panting, he slipped in to the comes to other people’s hearts.” booth across from Sarah. She was “What’s that supposed to already seated in her usual spot mean?” next to the greasy window with “Just that you don’t understand her nose buried in the New York the word ‘responsibility’. Basically, Times, a steaming mug of green you’re selfish.” tea perched on the table in front “That was harsh.” of her.

“The truth usually is.”

“I didn’t think you would make “I think I am going to order it.” Typical Sarah, nonchalant, some coffee.” judgmental, and wise. Maybe he “I thought Annah went out to shouldn’t have come. She peered at get you some?” him over the edge of the tall paper.

“She did, but what does that Smoothly, she bunched it up and have to stuffed it into the threadbare sack do…” that sat next to her. Slipping her “Selfish. fingers through the handle of her Look. I will mug, she lifted it up and pressed plan Mom’s her red lips against its edge. The b i r t h d a y hand thrown brown clay looked thing. Go. particularly earthy cupped by her Hop back bony fingers. But she didn’t take a on that sip. She just peered at him through silly fixthe steam. geared bike “Well, I’m here.” He let out an of yours. exhausted sigh, undoing the seat Peddle back to that shack you two belt that strapped his bag to his live in and tell Annah you’re sorry. back. Quickly, he slipped it off his If you’re lucky you can let her yell shoulders and between his skinny at you. And if she doesn’t yell, legs. pack your bags. Tell her you’ll be She wouldn’t stop looking at back in a week and find a couch to him…. repent on.”

“I had sex with Annah.”

“What? It’s my house. And she is “Mmmm…” Completely un- just as ‘responsible’ for what hapfazed she nodded her head, as if pened as I am.” she had known all along and was Sarah didn’t say anything, she just waiting for him to confess the just stared at him for several long sin. “Why?” minutes. Then she shrugged, Her question had caught him leaned back, and shifted her gaze off guard and so he answered her to the dingy window where her honestly. eyes tracked unsuspecting strang“I had writer’s block.” A little ers the way a caged animal lazily too honestly.

BY MAIA GALLAGHER-SIUDZINSKI Special to Diverse City

September 26, 2008

watches the pray it will never catch.

Sarah was trapped by many things.

By her boring desk job that “pays the rent,” by her parents who pay for her expensive therapy sessions, by her ambiguous sexuality, by her fear of rejection, by her sense of duty. Sarah more than made up for her brother’s flexible definition of obligation. She was the model adult, but she was bored.

She pretended not to notice her brother trudging out of the café as a twinge of jealousy churned in her all-organic-and-locally-grown gut.

After peddling about seven miles out of the way he finally returned to the house. Annah’s rusty Volvo was back in the driveway waiting patiently for his return. He had spent the long ride going over and over in his head just exactly what he was going to say to her. Finally feeling prepared, he climbed the back steps and walked into the kitchen.

Despite his well-rehearsed lines, silenced engulfed his mind the minute he spotted her. She leaned casually against the counter with a mug of coffee cupped in her hands.

She picked at a dried cheerio with her toe, avoiding his empty gaze.

“So, I guess you got coffee with Sarah?”

“No, I –I mean—she wouldn’t let me. Look, Annah— “So what did she yell at you about this time? I hope she isn’t still going on about that law school shit. You know she’s just jealous about the house.”

“It’s my mom’s birthday coming up, so—I don’t know. She wanted to plan something. Did you go out to get coffee dressed like that?”

Annah looked a little disheveled to say the least. Her pants had a giant hole in the crotch and her breasts sagged beneath a stained white tee-shirt. Self-consciously she crossed her arms over her unwieldy chest and tried to fake a smile.

“Well, I couldn’t really go out wrapped in that comforter.” It was an attempt at a joke, but neither of them laughed. “Were you looking for a book?”

Their eyes both tracked along the floor, into the study, where he had left his tirade strewn about.

He never could hide things from Annah.

“No, not really. Look, Annah, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, what do you have to be sorry about? We are both adults.

I knew what I was doing when I pulled out that bottle of Tequila.”

“Yeah, well, I was thinking we could use a little space. So I think I’m going to go stay on Sarah’s couch. For a few days. Just until we can like sort this out. You know, get back to normal?” There was hope in his voice, but it was faint and shrouded by a thick layer of self-involvement.

“No, you don’t have to do that.

Despite his well-rehearsed lines, silenced engulfed his mind the minute he spotted her.

Established 2006 "Celebrating the precious human tapestry" Maxwell Price Editor

FOUNDED By Esther Joo, Stephen Sukumaran and Rishun Fukazawa

I mean, I’m the guest and my mom has been begging me to come home for months now. And besides, I’m already packed.”

That’s when he noticed the sloppy suitcase and plastic bags piled up next to the door. “But, don’t go.

We can figure this out. I thought we were— “Friends?”

“Yeah.”

“We were, we are. You’re right though, we both just need a little space right now.”

“No, we don’t! I was only saying that because Sarah told me to. I—” His voice sounded desperate and wounded.

“Shhh, I don’t think you need a best friend right now. No. What you need is a strong cup of coffee, a maid, and maybe a good therapist, or just an editor. Not a friend. At

least not one that you fuck when you’re drunk and play house with when you’re sober.” She walked over to press the hot mug into his hand and gently kiss his cheek. Then, precariously balancing her bags in her arms, she stumbled out the door.

He stood with his back still facing the rickety screen door, and for the second time that morning he listened to Annah open the car door and turn on the raspy engine. He listened to the gravel crunch beneath her tires as she pulled out onto their –his sleepy road. But this time he wasn’t relieved.

He was quiet.

He stood there, smelling the cup of coffee, listening to the quiet whispers of an empty house. He strolled into the study and slipped behind his desk. Finally, he began to write.

A D V E RTI SE M E N T

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Culturally adept?

Come write for Diverse City! dc.90907@gmail.com

The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in Diverse City do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial staff.

We are open to considering submissions from members of the Brandeis community relating to cultural events.

Telephone: (781) 736-4755.

E-mail: DC.90907@Gmail.com

September 26, 2008

Diverse City 13

END-NOTE

We won't land

that be to separate us on the basis of b.s., we would “walk right up to I'm all about murder-murder and the sun, hand in hand, [we’d] walk kill-kill, But what about Grindhouse right up to the sun, we won't land”. and Kill Bill?, What about Cheney He chose to end the show with the and Halliburton?, The backdoor emotion filled performance of deals, On oil fields, How's Nas the “One Mic” in which it seemed as most violent person?” By the end if even Nasty Nas might’ve broof the song Nas had turned much ken into tears. The energy resoof the audience (myself included) nated from the microphone into into an anti-Fox mob which was each and every one of us and in fun to say the least the last seconds where he mouthed Mr. Jones spent the rest of the the lyrics silently one could clearly night going through fan favor- hear the audience filling in each ites. Songs like and every word "Made You His belief in the youth and it was flipping Look", "Hate amazing.

Me Now, Got as the harbingers of a new After such a Yourself a Gun and better age was evident show it's no sur"and "N.Y. the energy he put into the prise that my man State of Mind" Steven Robinson made sure that performance. claimed that “out everyone got in of three times on the action. that I’ve seen Nas, The perforthe performance mance also included guest appear- at Brandeis was by far the best”. ances from Nas’ little brother Jun- No doubt, what distinguished this gle and friend Big Horse, members performance from others was the of the rap group the Bravehearts, excitement of the crowd (I still who performed their hit Oochie can’t believe we got Nas), and the Wallie. personal nature with which Nas In retrospect I’m kinda sur- approached us. His belief in the prised at how many people knew youth as the harbingers of a new the words to almost every song. and better age was evident the enThere were several times where ergy he put into the performance.

Nas would just stop spitting to All in all, I’ll reiterate my statement hear the crowd, and in my head from last week. Brandeis wins, or I was like “NOOOOO, what are won, whatever. Nas is a legend, he you doing?!?!?!?”. To my surprise proved it last Saturday. Between and delight I wasn’t the only one the wild crowd, amazing lyricism, who knew the words to "N.Y. State powerfully empowering messages of Mind", so did most of the audi- and overall stellar showmanship ence.

Nas also proved, in the ironic fashThe high point of the show was ion befitting him, that contrary to a heartfelt rendition of the hit “If I his own statements, Hip-Hop is Ruled the World” in which Nas re- far from dead. It is kept very alive ally brought home the message of in Nas and artists like him and for unity. He gave his testament that if that I am thankful. One Love. we were all to unite on the basis of humanity and not allow the powers NAS from p. 10

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Nas concert $15 Dinner in Boston $30 Dessert at Lizzy's $5

Brandeis helps Posse student land internship

BY MAXWELL PRICE Editor

Sometimes interviewing another person makes you understand yourself better.

I met Daniel Acheampong ’11 last year, because he lived on my hall (Gordon 2, nicest dorm floor at Brandeis?). He’s one of the most popular people I know yet he’s also incredibly down to earth. I used to see him around the hall periodically, and he would always greet me with, “Hey, Max. How’s it going?” We didn’t hang out much, but I always thought he was the coolest person at Brandeis. Every time I tried to have a conversation with him he’d be assaulted by dozens of adoring friends, both young men and women.

Daniel is also a young black man from Brooklyn. I ran into him at the Central Library this summer, and we told each other about our internships. He was doing research and marketing work at MTV and Comedy Central, and I was teaching theater and health to high school kids in Harlem (TRUCE/ HCZ). I was incredibly impressed with his work and he seemed interested in what I was doing.

But as we chatted I was secretly worried. I was worried that he’d see my internship as the fulfillment of some liberal Jewish version of the “white man’s burden,” as though I were offering hippie artistic pearls before poor black swine. But nothing could be further than the truth. To use an old cliché, I learned far more about myself and this country from my students than they learned from me. And when they did their final showcase performances, I couldn’t believe how much creative insight and talent the world wasn’t seeing.

Yet there’s another side to the story. I knew that

Daniel was a Posse student, and despite my best efforts at avoiding prejudice, I judged him based on superficial features. And I didn’t even realize it until a few hours ago this story will be submitted to print.

If or when you read my article, “Privilege, Power, and Responsibility,” (p. x) you might notice that I used Daniel as a symbol to show the great efforts that Brandeis makes in promoting diversity. What you won’t see is the original line I wrote about him, “POSSE gave Daniel Achempoang ’11 (see p. x) the opportunity to learn research and marketing skills in one of America’s largest media conglomerates despite socioeconomic advantages that might otherwise have denied him access.”

When I asked Daniel for his permission to write this line, he seemed to appreciate the intent but politely informed me that the phrase “socioeconomic disadvantages “isn’t true.” In fact, he was awarded the scholarship because of those qualities I always admired about him: his intelligence, outgoing demeanor, and leadership skills. Not because he was a black man from Brooklyn Maxwell Price (channeling Dave Eggers): But you’re doing it again!

You’re using PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot a black man as a symbol for America’s struggles and your own neuroses just like you did with Andrew!

Maxwell Price (channeling Vladimir Nabokov): Andrew has acknowledged the safe return of the revolution I had been sent here and has asked me to mention in my Hoot article—and this I willingly do—that I alone am responsible for any mistakes in my commentary. Insert before a professional."

Maxwell Price: Think about it.

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