To the Editor:
John Strayer's column in Thursday's paper ("Learn from slackers," July 14) made some strong assertions about the personalities of Dartmouth students -- assertions which were not offensive, yet were extremely condescending.
On one end, according to the author, are the "greedy jerks." These are described as money-hungry fools who are blind to all but the pursuit of wealth. They are preprofessionals: the pre-meds, pre-laws, and pre-MBAs, and they are of course, "jerks."
I do not doubt that the author knows several pre-professional students who will go on to careers which pay quite well. What I cannot understand is his utter lack of respect for their lifestyles.
First, whether he realizes it or not, these students, in pursuing their fortunes, keep our world running.
Whether it is their primary objective or not, doctors serve humanity more directly than employees in any other profession.
The same can be said for attorneys and businessmen -- society cannot function without them. Are they money-hungry? Perhaps, but for the services they provide, they do not deserve in the least to be so insulted.
But there is an alternative -- look to the slackers! In addition to pointing out what is wrong with the jerks, the author mentions that they should learn to be more like the "slackers."
While the jerks are "blind to the uncertain future that seems to face our generation," the slackers are much their superior for being "overwhelmed by both generational and personal uncertainty" and "motivationless."
Yes, I quite agree, these are traits we must all strive to attain.
From this description, the author finds that the great value of the slackers is that, from their example we derive a good "work ethic." Perhaps I missed something. I would like the author to find me a pre-med without "work ethic."
Furthermore, the value of the jerks, he finds, is in the "idealism" that is sparked by arguing with them. The assumption is that the only use for these scum-of-humanity is to spit on them and derive a feeling of superiority is an insult to society.
Those preprofessionals while perhaps self-motivated by wealth, have chosen their means for serving society.
The assertions that they ought to re-examine their values and be depressed by the "Generation-X bull" that's flying around, and will hopefully have their minds changed by the more idealistic can only be made out of spite and disrespect.
Lastly, the pictures painted of the Dartmouth extremes by the author are, in my view, wholly fallacious.
If he wants to go ahead believing in jerks with no idealism and slackers with no pragmatism, let him go on feeling superior.
But the reality at this school is that all the so-called slackers want to make something of themselves and contribute to society somehow and all the so-called jerks undergo almost constant examination of their lifestyles and objectives.
It is hard enough for them without having to be criticized, told their worth, and corrected.
I am in neither extreme yet defend them both because all lifestyles deserve respect.
It is this basic respect which allows such different peoples to live together and make society the successful marketplace of ideas and values it is.
We should nurture it, not disrupt it.
