EDITORIAL: The pseudo '60s

The spirited protest overThe spirited protest overthe Clinique counter FridayThe spirited protest overthe Clinique counter Fridayrivaled the College HallThe spirited protest overthe Clinique counter Fridayrivaled the College Hallsit-in of 30 years ago.The spirited protest overthe Clinique counter Fridayrivaled the College Hallsit-in of 30 years ago._____________________________ Yes, on Friday, Penn witnessed its own version of classic Berkeley activism. It was the war to end all wars -- "Books Not Blush" vs. "Lipstick Not Linguistics." Eight students disparaged the mind-altering powers of The Book Store's Clinique counter because it obviously forces women to be overconcerned about their looks. The seven other protesters facetiously defended an even more noble cause -- women don't want to travel 10 blocks off campus to purchase their lipstick. And this brainchild -- described by College junior Elliot Witney as "the most glaring problem" on campus -- took only three weeks to plan. Witney and company had been discussing for weeks how students on campus are not passionate about anything, so they decided they had to stage a protest in order to breathe life back into such an apathetic community. And, of course, they didn't choose to focus debate on racial tensions, undergraduate teaching or the high cost of tuition. Those issues were too sophomoric. Instead, they invented their version of a Cover Girl cover up, and ranted and raved in front of The Book Store. These students protested simply to protest, and it was a mockery. The Clinique protest didn't spur activism, it belittled it. When an issue truly grabs the emotions of students, when students' anger and frustration have been arosed, they will mobilize and demand to be heard. We do not need meaningless protests to remind us to be passionate. Don't insult our intelligence or waste our time.