Students for Social Justice held a mock State of the Union address in the Common Ground Cafe on Tuesday, Jan. 28, just moments before President Bush gave his real address.
Approximately 40 people were present for the address.
Freshman John Dashkoff acted as President Bush and gave a brief speech followed by a question and answer session.
“The economy is in the [toilet],” Dashkoff said.
“We must act quickly and decisively against Saddam. This man tried to kill my daddy,” Dashkoff added.
The fake Bush enticed Americans to buy SUVs by offering tax rebates on any SUV purchase. Dashkoff called the state of the union “rather sticky,” claiming America is at “code magenta.” Dashkoff asked, “The wealthy are the only important ones in this country, right?”
Following Dashkoff, freshman David Ladon sang a self-written song about American politics. Ladon, a member of SSJ’s executive board, said, “We must actively create social justice.”
He also quoted Gandhi, “It is not enough to be compassionate, we must act.”
Talk about Sal receives good reviews from students and professors alike
On January 22, Professor Naomi Greene gave a talk on the gay filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini and his controversial film, Sal.Held in Wilson Common’s Gowen Room at 7:30 p.m., Greene’s presentation was organized by Daniel Humphrey and sponsored by Professor Sharon Willis.
Greene introduced many arguments and ideas from her book, Pier Paolo Pasolini — Cinema as Heresy. “Professor Greene argues for the film’s great value, both as a political parable and a political act,” Humphrey said.
Sal presents brutal sexual images and images of consumerism and hedonistic tendencies.
Sal has attracted both criticism and praise, according to Humphrey.Professor Randall Halle attended the lecture and found the lecture interesting and informative.
“I appreciated greatly an opportunity to hear Professor Greene offer a contextual history of the debates around the film and her thoughts on its continued significance,” Halle said.
