Dear Editor,
The events surrounding the football game and the actions of the fans and the ROTC were tragic, and as in all tragedies, we have a need to blame somebody.
But who do we blame in a situation where both parties are wrong?
So now a fight breaks out on who is to take responsibility. Neither party can claim innocence, so they attack the guilt of the other and the arguments become endless. It becomes a fight not for what is right, but for what is less wrong. But in the passion of the fight there remains one vital, unasked question: Was the victory of a game or the enforcement of a rule worth giving up our morals and values for?
The true cause of these incivilities is the human weakness of going to extremes, whether it be extreme enthusiasm for a team, or the extreme zeal for a job or assignment. It is in these extremes that one thing becomes more important than anything else – victory celebrations over respect for rules, and law enforcement over respect for others. We allow our passions to rearrange our priorities.
So the fight continues. In the end, the winner will be the one who is less wrong (if there is such a concept) or the one who caused the least amount of damage. However, unless we can control the emotions that push us to the extremes, there can be no real winners.
Chris Rock
Thornton, Colo.
