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Dear A Mitch: Hurdles In Life

February 22, 2009

by Alex Mitchell
Dear A Mitch: Hurdles In Life

Dear A Mitch,


When I decided to come here I knew I was walking into a politically charged climate. I thought I would not really care that much about other people’s political ideologies, but I have been shying away from people I think I would be good friends with if they were not Republicans. Like a friend was pumping up Karl Rove at the beginning of the year. I can’t take anything she says seriously now. Why can’t people have some sense?


Dear friend,


I’ll give you Karl Rove. Dude sucks harder than Paul Walker’s acting. There is an easy way to deal with this though. Just invite your friend over to watch a movie with kettle corn and pop in “Bush’s Brain; A Documentary About Karl Rove.”


Political ideologies can undoubtedly tear people away from each other. I think there is something positive you are missing in this experience though. At most colleges across the nation, the Republican Party is as proportionally represented as Africa on the world map (http://baggas.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/africa_in_perspective_map.jpg). That is, most colleges don’t reflect our nation’s political landscape. What you get at CMC is a unique situation you wouldn’t necessarily be exposed to at Occidental or Berkeley. And you aren’t debating the ignorance of tradition here. There is a higher comprehension of politics at CMC, propelling educated debate, not what Our Lord Jesus Christ wants.


A professor once told me you cannot knock Marxism before you’ve read the Communist Manifesto. Similarly, wouldn’t you say this is an excellent opportunity to discover what drives the values of Republicans? Maybe if you better understand where they are coming from, they won’t bother you so much. Or perhaps give you a legitimate reason to call them wankers.


If in the end you find their right wing egos are too much to handle, here is a prank that might assist you in fucking with them. Just because: Make a flier that says “missing potato” with a picture of a potato underneath. Give a short description of the potato: Brown, ovalish, dirty, bumpy, full of complex carbohydrates, then leave the person’s cell number below and post them around the 5Cs, minus CMC. After a week or so they should hate potatoes more than the Irish in 1740. Feel free to substitute other veggies, or whatever.


Sincerely,

A Mitch


Dear A Mitch,


My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer last week. The doctors caught it early and say that it is treatable and she has a strong chance of living through it. There’s always that chance though, you know, that she won’t make it. I can’t decide if I should go home to be with her through this time. My dad and sister are there for her, but if things were to go bad, I couldn’t live with myself knowing I wasn’t by her side. She has a surgery in two weeks and chemo when she heals. I can’t focus on anything, I’m an airhead in class. I’m sort of freaking out.


Dear Friend,


Sorry to hear that. In emotional times like these it can be incredibly hard to think straight. It’s like someone else has control of your life, playing checkers with your thoughts. The heart is not rational, yet sometimes, if we truly attempt to ground ourselves in reality, rationality can help make us formulate decisions that at least make some sense.


Many times, when people find their loved ones are sick, they push to satisfy their own needs, not what the ill want. I’m sure your mom has your best interest in mind and would cherish your company through her hardship, however parents who raise CMC students value the success of their children. I don’t know your mom but she probably has some peace of mind knowing that her son is working to be an educated man.

One thing you can be fairly sure of is that you’ll be out of school for the summer before she’s finished chemo. If you have an internship this summer, drop it. Chemo is never good and as the months go on, it snowballs. I imagine when you make it home this May you’ll be the light she needs to smile. Until then, call her everyday. And find people at CMC to help. The worst thing you could possibly do is become a stresspot of fear, anger, and sadness. Shit Soup. I can tell you haven’t told many people because you’re writing to me. Find someone who can help release that manmotion. People often resort to drinking and drugs to dissolve their upsets. I say, in tribute to your mom’s struggle, be the strong person you know she wants you to be.


Sincerely,

A Mitch

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