Response to the Bomb Threat
HPR contributors weigh in on the consequences of Monday’s events.
Month: December 2013
A More Honest Empathy
In the wake of great pain, tragedy, or inexplicable bad-action, we commonly seek some sense of comfort and understanding of the event by trying to empathize with the characters involved. After the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT, concerned parents across the country voiced support for Liza Long’s column I am Adam Lanza’s Mother, in which she … Read more
We’re Not All Eldo Kim
Eldo Kim sent two emails that are now etched into my memory. I’ve pondered both deeply since Monday’s events. His second email, which contained the threat, sent shivers down my spine as I read the hoax he conjured up. But focusing on the words of this email is beside the point. Can there ever be … Read more
We’re All Eldo Kim
Following reports that Eldo Kim ’16 had planned the false bomb alert in four buildings on Monday in order to cancel his Gov 1368: Politics of American Education exam, students have expressed a wide spectrum of emotions: relief, anger, annoyance, even occasional laughter. Given Boston’s recent and horrific bombings, hearing that a fellow student would … Read more
We’re Not All Eldo Kim
Eldo Kim sent two emails that are now etched into my memory. I’ve pondered both deeply since Monday’s events. His second email, which contained the threat, sent shivers down my spine as I read the hoax he conjured up. But focusing on the words of this email is beside the point. Can there ever be … Read more
In a World Full of "Games," is "Twelve Years" Too Soon?
It’s been exactly a month and a half since I saw 12 Years a Slave. Weeks later, as I sit here writing this article, I still vividly remember the tears in the eyes of the men and women around me at the film’s close, the intense tug in my own chest and the first tear to blur … Read more
State Single-Payer: The Next Frontier of American Healthcare
If all the states were a giant family, Vermont would be the stereotypical Birkenstock-wearing, hippie cousin—just a little bit different and unafraid to reject the typical way of doing things. So perhaps it should not have been all that surprising when the Green Mountain State enacted a single-payer health care system, called “Green Mountain Care,” … Read more
Teaching 9/11: History for the Next Generation
Teaching tragedy is no easy thing. It’s a careful balancing act between emotion and analysis, and it’s always a difficult compromise. Since September 2011, New Jersey has officially included 9/11 as part of the state curriculum. The New Jersey plan is a conventional one; it stresses human loss, using a wide array of resources to present … Read more
Distasteful Elections
The Virginia gubernatorial election is traditionally the first electoral check on a president’s term—it falls on the odd-numbered year following a presidential election. Since 1977, Virginia has elected a governor opposite the party of the sitting president in every election. The 2013 race broke this pattern. Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli began the campaign with … Read more
The Rise of Banksy
“GET BANKSY!” the front page of the New York Post declared, announcing that the New York Police Department had commenced a hunt for the “vandal.” Though the reports of the manhunt for the famed graffiti artist were debunked by Mayor Bloomberg, the headline offers a telling portrait of the tension between street art’s status as … Read more