Violinist story lacked context

In regard to Matt Stone’s column (“”If a virtuoso plays in a subway station and no one cares to hear…””), my first response is The Washington Post removed the context. That is, the music was expected to compete with the time pressure of morning rush hour, without its normal context.

Since children are immune to such pressure, it’s no surprise that they wanted to stop and listen. Adults, however, do not participate in the joys of morning rush hour unless some awful pressure forces them to do so – I speak as one who knows because I know the location in L’Enfant plaza in which the staged scene took place. So the adults behaved like rational adults and pressed on.

But these rational adults also were purposefully denied the benefit of hearing the music in its proper context. How clever.

Increasingly in our culture, people mock the demise of language, of which music is an essential component. One method by which they mock the demise is by altering or destroying the context of the message. In this way, they highlight the loss of meaning, and then congratulate themselves. It is as appalling as it would be to see the bridge crew of the RMS Titanic, just after the ship shudders to a stop and begins to settle, slapping each other on the back and high-fiving.

I’m sure the Post magazine staff has already congratulated itself on exposing the petty philistines in the subway. But in the process, they have only revealed how petty and bankrupt their own minds are. Welcome to the New Dark Age.

Lance Acree Baltimore, Md.

Joining clubs doesn’t always hinder college experience

Jared Pflum’s column (“”To the beat of your own drum””) was very well written and makes a good point – in college, students should strive to learn about people different from themselves and ideas that are contrary to their own beliefs, thus broadening their horizons.

However, I draw issue with Jared’s assertion that joining groups make students less apt to accept things on face value. There is nothing wrong with joining a religious or cultural group to make friends with people with whom you have something in common. That doesn’t mean you are a follower or can’t “”march to the beat of your own drum””; it means you recognize things that you enjoy and want to meet other people who do the same.

Without these groups, we might not know about other ideas. In some instances, it is the only way that certain messages can be communicated, thereby educating people in the process.

So in response to Jared: Yeah, maybe being a part of a group means that you meet other people that are similar to you, but the mere existence of groups also means that their message is being heard – possibly by you.

Janne Perona criminal justice administration senior, former Wildcat columnist

‘Weapon-free zones’ don’t prevent tragedy

Yesterday’s shooting at Virginia Tech was a terrible tragedy, and I offer my thoughts and prayers to the victims’ families. However, I think that UA and other universities could learn from this.

Like our own campus, Virginia Tech is a weapon-free area. Carrying a weapon of any kind is prohibited, even with a valid permit. Policies such as this are meant to protect students and faculty, but is that their actual effect?

The people who are going to use weapons for illegal and violent purposes do not care about weapons policies. If they did, Virginia Tech’s gunman would have thought, “”Oh man, I was planning to kill 30 people today, but I’m not allowed to bring a gun to campus.”” However, some do heed the “”Weapon-Free Zone”” signs. Those people are the law-abiding citizens who would not have misused the weapons anyway.

Unfortunately, this situation leaves them with little defense against the violent people who disregard the policy. If licensed guns had been permitted at Virginia Tech, I imagine that at least a few students in Norris Hall would have been carrying one. Perhaps they’d have been able to cut the rampage short; maybe they’d have saved lives.

Allowing weapons on campus can be safe, organized and beneficial. Students who choose to carry a weapon could be required to take a gun safety course at their own expense and to register weapons with UAPD or another group. Threatening and brandishing would still be prohibited and perhaps punished more severely.

Maybe one day, our policy will better reflect our constitutional right to arms. Until then, I will abide by the current policy and hope that any potential mugger/attacker/rapist is scared off by my fists, stature and a dirty look.

Samantha Ware pre-physiological sciences sophomore