It's been a week of feasting, seeing our loved ones and -- as the name Thanksgiving indicates -- giving thanks for all we've been blessed with.
But that week is over.
Now I'm back at Penn and back to writing my column. It's an odd, cynical business, this column writing. With the occasional exception, each column is at its core a kind of complaint, every columnist a designated complainer.
It seems that even in the charmed lives of undergraduates at an Ivy League university, there are many things worthy of criticism and that call for change.
So in this spirit of un-thanksgiving, I've culled together a list of things here at Dear Old Penn for which to be unthankful:
The ubiquity of Ron Perelman's name in the Perelman Quadrangle. Because of his generosity, the cosmetics tycoon certainly deserves having the Quad named in his honor, but that honor has gone too far. Since when was the Perelman Quad supposed to be an autonomous state unto itself?
From the signs at every entrance to the steps of the amphitheater and even to the polo shirts staff members wear, everything is emblazoned with the man's name, disassociating the Quad totally from Penn.
The most ridiculous instance of Perelman-overkill is the podium inside Irvine Auditorium. It has "Perelman Quadrangle" --not Penn -- written on it for everyone in the audience and out in TV Land to see. The phrase "Perelman Quadrangle" doesn't register with anybody outside of Penn and the University squanders a great self-promotion opportunity here simply to satiate one alumnus' ego.
The presence of a plaque honoring Michael Milken at the entrance of our new Generational Walk. If Milken -- the greedy genius behind the junk bond scandal of the Eighties that decimated small investors and ruined companies -- wants to purchase a plaque on the Walk, that's his right.
But he should have had the grace to omit the "In honor of" preceding his name, something many other benefactors did. He, more than anyone, should know that the words "honor" and "Michael Milken" don't belong in the same sentence.
There's no place within 20 blocks of Penn where you can buy a live Christmas tree. There used to be a place just over the South Street bridge, but it has since been replaced by an apartment building.
It's a shame, really. There's nothing that stirs the holiday spirit like carrying a douglas fir on your shoulder, breathing in the crisp air and enjoying the lights on Locust Walk as you head back to your dorm.
SEPTA's ridiculous new advertising slogan. Failing to learn from their previous slogan -- the oft-derided "We're Getting There" -- SEPTA has managed to come up with an even more self-deprecating effort: "We're Serious About Change."
They pay people to come up with this stuff? This new edition isn't even a clever play on words (unless you count the irony that SEPTA clerks don't make change).
What makes this even more ridiculous is that SEPTA really is not serious about change. It has made no effort to make the system more understandable or to rein in their rising fares. SEPTA should start practicing what it preaches and get serious about changing the way it does business. And while they're at it, they really should change their ad agency, too.
Penn police's harassment of pro-life activists. Two weeks ago, pro-life protesters were asked to leave campus by Penn police. They had packed up and were ready to leave until someone from The Daily Pennsylvanian arrived. Emboldened by the presence of the media, the protesters continued their demonstration.
When questioned about why they asked the protesters to leave, officers on the scene said their "sign was offensive" and that their message was "offending lots of people."
But what if no one began asking questions? The protesters would have left, intimidated by police, with no one even raising an eyebrow.
Switch the tables now. What if the police asked the Penn for Peace activists who were protesting 30 feet away to leave? It would have been an entirely different -- and bigger -- story.
Such an ironic situation points to the double standard of tolerance in America. While we must -- and should -- tolerate unpopular left-wing opinions, it's seemingly all right to dismiss ultra-conservative views and sweep them under the rug.
I shouldn't end this column on a sour note. Despite my job description, I have to recognize that there's a lot to be thankful for here at Penn.
Here's one: Rittenhouse Square during the holidays. Walk straight down Walnut Street and you'll come across a newly lighted Rittenhouse Square. Philadelphia did something good by hanging multi-colored orbs of light in the park's trees, casting that little oasis in a warm glow.
It's a great place to take a stroll, retreat from all the things that go wrong in this world and remember the many things that go right.
