2008 Woodie Awards
Home sweet home
Kelsey Shannon
Issue date: 9/25/02 Section: Commentary
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In the endless standoff between Georgetown residents and students, “We were here first” is the grown-up version of “He started it.” Both sides stake their claim to original ownership and expect the argument to end there, as if some mythical independent arbitrator will simply see the merits of their point and declare the case over.
But if there is one thing little kids learn from their battles, it is that who started it rarely matters; and, even if it did, deciphering precisely who is right is well nigh impossible.
In a way, of course, both sides are right. Georgetown University has been around since the 18th century, and even the most crotchety of neighbors was not born during the Washington or Adams administration. Students have been here for 200 plus years doing what students do: studying, learning and partying. So, in that way, we were here first.
And yet every student is a transient, at Georgetown for four years, give or take. We may spend a year in New South, a year in Henle, a year on Prospect Street and a year in Burleith. Wherever students live, we live there only long enough to get comfortable, throw a few parties and move on. Hoyas may be here, but individual members of the class of 2005 can hardly claim a connection to students who attended Georgetown several decades ago. So, in that way, they were here first.
But shrilly screaming these mutually exclusive points does nothing for anyone. Whoever was here first, we are all here now. Sure, it may be impossible for students to understand why people moved in two blocks from a college campus if they expected peace and quiet. But it is just as hard for our neighbors to understand why we need to sing crappy ‘80s hits at the top of our lungs at 3 a.m. on a Thursday morning.
This does not mean the problem is intractable. Still, the failure to move beyond the “He started it phase” is emblematic of the difficulty of the issue.
What kind of compromise is available or even possible? None, really, if what one is looking for is a cure-all. No amount of give-and-take will make everyone happy.
But if there is one thing little kids learn from their battles, it is that who started it rarely matters; and, even if it did, deciphering precisely who is right is well nigh impossible.
In a way, of course, both sides are right. Georgetown University has been around since the 18th century, and even the most crotchety of neighbors was not born during the Washington or Adams administration. Students have been here for 200 plus years doing what students do: studying, learning and partying. So, in that way, we were here first.
And yet every student is a transient, at Georgetown for four years, give or take. We may spend a year in New South, a year in Henle, a year on Prospect Street and a year in Burleith. Wherever students live, we live there only long enough to get comfortable, throw a few parties and move on. Hoyas may be here, but individual members of the class of 2005 can hardly claim a connection to students who attended Georgetown several decades ago. So, in that way, they were here first.
But shrilly screaming these mutually exclusive points does nothing for anyone. Whoever was here first, we are all here now. Sure, it may be impossible for students to understand why people moved in two blocks from a college campus if they expected peace and quiet. But it is just as hard for our neighbors to understand why we need to sing crappy ‘80s hits at the top of our lungs at 3 a.m. on a Thursday morning.
This does not mean the problem is intractable. Still, the failure to move beyond the “He started it phase” is emblematic of the difficulty of the issue.
What kind of compromise is available or even possible? None, really, if what one is looking for is a cure-all. No amount of give-and-take will make everyone happy.