Perspective in this ironic, cynically wrenched society of ours is often a hard commodity to come by. So wrapped up are we in our tidy little worlds of social problems and neuroses that we lose sight of the greater picture. Of course, that is, until lately. With our country’s recent crisis, we’re suddenly bathed in perspective, to the point where it’s bleeding forth with just about every action we take: renting videos (“God, I feel so guilty! I should be mourning!”); arguing with friends (“This is so pointless! At least we’re alive!”); and doing homework (“Doesn’t Professor Such-and-Such realize what’s going on? Oh, I can’t concentrate!”). In about an hour and a half on some clear Tuesday morning, our entire worldview was shifted from “self” to just about everything else. Given the circumstances, that’s certainly not a bad thing.

So why is it, please tell me, that the vast bunch of fairly educated college students like ourselves can’t get over the fact that WILD had no kegs? A contributor to the opinion pages of last week’s Student Life commented that, while he “support[s] raising money for the victims and their families,” he wonders why “the students of Washington University, many of whom look forward biannually to the food, drink, and music of WILD, have to suffer as well?”

“Suffer?” What kind of ignorant, Limp Bizkit, “my-way-or-the-highway” logic is that? We’re deprived of kegs and a big-name headliner at a single WILD, and suddenly we’re the victims of a grave injustice? How unbearably, incomprehensibly, selfish. Bodies lay freshly tangled in the rubble of 220 stories of concrete and steel, and you’re “suffering” because this semester’s party didn’t include as much beer as you would have liked? What happened to your perspective, man?

As many of our leaders have intoned, a return to normalcy is beneficial, even essential, to our survival as a nation. If we don’t stop staring at CNN for hours on end, paralyzed by our disbelief that such a horrible tragedy could occur on our own soil, we’ll grant our attackers yet another victory: the thorough trampling of the American spirit. So yes, we have to pull up, look around, and learn, ever-so-gradually, to appreciate life again; check out a movie, toss on some music, laugh with some friends, and so on. But just because one party, that the school itself sponsors, won’t be so hot this time around, do we have justifiable reason yet again for our freedoms to feel threatened? There are any number of valid arguments to have supported the presence of kegs at last weekend’s event-first and foremost being the obvious drop in attendance, and therefore drop in charity funds, that this dry WILD brought about-but “because we want our beer” is hardly among them.

The author of the article, Andrew Lehrer, suggests alternatives, such as cutting “those stupid, inflatable sumo wrestlers,” “‘Reese (who?),” or “sound system rental for the four [early] hours when no one shows up to listen to local opening bands.” Call me crazy, but just because Mr. Lehrer doesn’t consider those activities to be enjoyable (and finds alcohol to be infinitely more so) does not mean that every student agrees with him. If Andrew were to have his way with WILD, it would have been a big gathering of people drinking school-supplied beer. No music, no games, just a good old-fashioned kegger. Sounds like barrels of fun. Lord knows we never have keg parties on campus.

In the final analysis, WILD is a WU-sponsored, WU-arranged event. If Team 31 wants to make the event alcohol-free, for whatever even remotely justifiable reason, they have every right to do so. If you’ve got a huge problem with it, then don’t go. Don’t worry, the school’s indubitably lax “just keep it where we can’t see it” drinking policy will still be in effect. You’ll have plenty of opportunity for, as Mr. Lehrer describes, “kicking back with friends, listening to music, and having a few beers.” Hey, with a good sound system and some extra cash, it’ll be like your very own, self-organized WILD-but sans the donations to charity.

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