What’s scarier than realizing that one’s collegiate career is drawing to an end? Starting senior year during one of the worst economic times in America’s history. Most college graduates face a certain amount of uncertainty and with the economy in the shape that it is, those post graduation jitters are tenfold. This blows.
As a theatre major, I found the closing of Starbucks cafés across the nation particularly distressing; nothing stings more than watching the back-up career you never wanted slip slowly out of reach. Not only am I confused as to how this happened, but also I’m not sure about this bailout. Since when did Wall Street turn into the drunk, slutty, irresponsible sibling that steals your Christmas money and makes you drive them to AA?
Not one to be negative, I started to look at the positives; I’ve reached one really strong one: I have no money now so I don’t really need to worry about losing it all. I also took Podair’s 1920’s/Great Depression/New Deal course so I think I’m pretty well prepared.
I like beans, I’ve read the Grapes of Wrath, I’m not from Oklahoma, I enjoy train rides and I have begun to google hobo signs, so I should be able to weather this storm out all right. Also, if I disappear and join the circus the government will probably have a hard time tracking me down for my student loans. I’m pretty sure I didn’t add “Bubbles the Wonder Cadet” to my list of other known names.
If faced with an economic crisis, the new president can take a page from FDR’s book and start some sweet WPA programs. This is the opportunity to fix the country’s infrastructure we’ve all been waiting for! Religious studies and East Asian philosophy majors can repave our highways while Biomedical ethics majors can help irrigate the driest parts of New Mexico. Who knows? The unwashed masses may even be able to help build wind turbines or work on assembly lines for electric cars. Maybe, just maybe, we could solve the energy crisis and the economic crisis by melding the two.
Sorry. That was a stretch.
One thing that I hope in my heart of hearts is that we may see a second coming of my favorite product of the Great Depression: egomania’s prodigal son Orson Welles. Hopefully discontent and cynicism haven’t become so familiar to us that we can’t channel some of that anger into something creative. Adorable as Adam Brody was Tuesday evening, that wasn’t the sort of scenario I was hoping for.
I am well aware that I am about as unqualified to write a column about the economy as ____ _____ is to be the nominee for ______ _______, but if I’m not going to give a voice to the common man, who is?
With all this talk about Wall Street ignoring Main Street, I have to wonder: What about College Avenue? Will entering the work force armed with a strong sense of individualism and the knowledge that I’m probably the only person in the room who has read “If on a winter’s night a traveler” be enough? Turns out there are a lot of things to think about this year and some of them aren’t all that funny.
Thinkin’ about things and Talkin’ about stuff
