Have you heard of Empty Bowls yet? This campaign holds events throughout the country, and has been represented here at Washington College through the Service Council. Last Thursday, the Service Council helped to host an Empty Bowls dinner event that took place at the Garfield Center for the Arts in downtown Chestertown.

This year is not the first year that the Service Council and other WC students have gotten involved with this event.

“This is our Third Annual Event for the Service Council,” said senior Kelsey Mills from the Service Council. “The support has grown over the years by more and more of the community becoming involved. This year, we have branched out into the community even more by holding the event off campus. The event began in Hynson in its first year, Underwood Lobby last year, and this year is at the Garfield Center for the Arts downtown. The aesthetic of the Garfield is perfect for our event and helps us tie into the community greatly.”

So how did the Service Council find out about Empty Bowls? As it turns out, it was Director of Student Development Beth-Anne Langrell who first introduced the movement to campus.

“I brought the Empty Bowls project to the campus when I arrived in 2005,” Langrell said. “I was a part of a huge two day event while in gradate school in Syracuse University. When we first started the event the bowls were sold in front of Play it Again, Sam and at the Farmers Market in town. Once we had enough interest from the community we expanded to include the dinner. Former Service Council co-Presidents Jesse Schaefer and Leah Sbriscia were a huge part of the event expansion.”

The most important part of the event is the cause.

Kelsey Mills explained, “This is a very valuable cause because all of the money we raise from ticket sales, donations, raffle ticket sales, and silent auction items goes directly to the Food Bank. Last year we raised over $2,000 for the event. The food pantry is just a huge contributor to the Kent County underprivileged. During their first quarter of the year (Jan-March) they distributed over 11,000 pounds of food a month. An average of 231 families a month, with 433 adults and 211 children, were provided food (about 50 pounds per family) in the community. They can use the extra funding as the bank purchased $24,550 of food during this quarter. The Service Council is structured into four different levels—campus, local, national and global. We are able to fulfill two of these levels by supporting our local food bank by using the basis of a national campaign. We seek to serve others in need, and not only are we supporting the community members in need, but we are helping support the organization that helps those less fortunate community members.”

At the event, Mills gave a speech thanking those who helped with the event, and board members of the Kent County Food Pantry Sue Caswell and Sue Basener spoke on behalf of the organization. Attendees got to pick bowls made personally by the members of Student Council, “to show everyone with a keepsake bowl after they eat their meal that there are empty bowls everywhere supporting the cause to help hunger,” said Mills.
They then ate a simple meal of soup and bread, while Kentavius Jones ‘04 played music. Overall, the night was a great success on the part of those who provided help from the Kent County Food Pantry and the Service Council.

Recently, a friend told me that eating “all-natural” is the antithesis (his word choice, not mine) of his view of the world and that he tries to stay away from foods that are labeled as such. I was taken aback, being the organic foodie that I am and asked him why he feels that way—the answer I got was not as surprising as one might think.

Much of America’s products at grocery stores and markets today are stickered with a litany of labels ranging from “organic,” “natural,” “free range,” “grass fed,” and “no GMOs.” Many of us buy food with these labels because we feel better about eating something that is more in tune with nature or more directly from the earth than other manufacturers’ products. If you are like my friend I mentioned before, however, this is far from true.

Those opposed to purchasing food products labeled “green” are skeptical of the actual quality difference, or they do not believe that the words uphold the standards they imply. It is their belief that in order for something to be the public’s view “all-natural,” the food must have come directly from the earth without any processing or contamination by man. If we uphold this extreme definition of the term, I am in complete agreement with the doubters. How could any company in today’s world of food industry work in such a manner and still earn enough of a profit to compete with those who utilize technology to manipulate their products?
The problem I have with this thinking does not like in the choice to stay away from food options labeled as “natural,” because I understand the logic in not trusting the companies to uphold what the label implies. Where I find fault in this thinking is with the definition of the labels; I have serious reservations about what the public takes these labels to mean.

I will start off by identifying the differences between a few of the most commonly used ones, as they are significant in effect, but not completely apparent to consumers.

1. “Organic”= Certified food products that uphold certain standards for purity in cultivation/creation such as being free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and preservatives and getting distributed, manufactured, and handled in the most environmentally-friendly and naturalistic means possible.

2. “Natural”= Food products that contain no artificial ingredients and are minimally processed by companies that produce them. There are no regulations companies who use this label must maintain and uphold.

3. “Free Range”= Animal products from livestock that has been provided access to the outdoors during the time they are raised by a company. This label is not regulated by any bureaucratic organization like most of the others on this list are.

4. “Grass Fed”= Certified animal products of livestock that ate grass or cereal grain crops while in their vegetative state, provided for them by those tending them. These producers also allow animals to have continuous access to pasture during the growing season.

5. “GMO-free” or “non-GMOs”= Food products that are not genetically modified in their makeup. Although this label does not require growers to uphold any types of regulations, many third party organizations will verify the food’s legitimacy in making this claim.

These are only a few of the many labels companies will stick onto just about any food item you can find in the grocery store or market today. My response to the epidemic of misguiding information from labels given by food companies is not an easy one, but I’ve found it to be enormously helpful in making my own choices on what to eat: get informed.

That may mean Googling definitions to words like “certified” that get stamped on the Styrofoam packages of beef you buy, asking (or reading the signs) around the dining hall about the origins of what is available, or researching super foods that are best for you and your needs. As I’ve said from the beginning, many of the problems with studies of environmental impacts on our lives come from a lack of information. Sometimes we can blame science for this fault, as a fair amount of the effects of inquiries in the field are inconclusive or unknown, but at the end of the day the responsibility falls on us. We must be the ones to take our health seriously, we must inform ourselves of the implications of decisions we make regarding what we eat because if we don’t, who will?

As the weather grows warmer and the trees revert back to their spring-time likeliness, people around school are beginning to feel an appreciation for nature. Not only does this time of year mean wearing shorts and T-shirts, but it also means the arrival of Earth Day. Known to many as the day in elementary school where students were brought outside to collect trash around school, here at Washington College, it has its own week and for good reason.

In this day and age, most people have given up on the idea of trying to save the Earth. In fact, people barely even recycle anymore. This is why WC has hosted a few events to make students aware of the fact that it is “Earth Week” and ensure that students continue to consciously make an effort to take care of the environment.

One event in particular that occurred on Friday, April 19 during the Greenstock Lunch at Hodson was the Sculpture contest. Open for viewing during the day, in which students were able to eat their lunch without producing waste products, these sculptures on display were made entirely of recyclable materials. There were two teams that competed: Health Services and the Student Environmental Alliance. Health Services created a palm tree sculpture made entirely of recycled Coke cans, and the SSEA made a recycled bottle watering can.

“I think that this is a creative way to engage in recycling and to make environmentalism more fun,” said Rachel Field ’11, the program coordinator for the Center for Environment and Society.

“The contest was started just a few years ago under the direction of JoAnn Fairchild who was the senior program coordinator for CES,” says Field. “It was (and still is) a way to demonstrate visually one of the most important parts of Earth Day: recycling!”

The planning for this year’s sculpture contest was not just a one man job for Field. Whitley Purnell, CES event planning intern, coordinated the details for the sculpture contest. Centered on the ideas of Earth Day, this sculpture contest was also an eye opener for many, with Field hoping that “for students who saw the sculptures at lunch, I think there was a lot of interest in participating next year.”

Freshman Emily Smith, who stopped to look at the sculptures, said, “It was interesting to see how the recycled materials were used to create sculptures. If recycled products could be used for that reason then there must be many other things that we can do with them to help the environment.”

With events such as this bringing light to a fact that affects our everyday life, it is important to step forward and take notice of the things around you. With the help of Field and the Center for Environment and Society, students at WC have the privilege to get to know the facts and see firsthand what taking care of the environment can truly do, not only for the campus and the surrounding communities, but for the world.

Students celebrated another successful Relay for Life effort last weekend from 6 Saturday night until 6 Sunday morning in the Johnson Lifetime Fitness Center field house. After months of planning, poster-making, fundraising, T-shirt ordering, baking, and weekly meetings, the Relay committee’s hard work finally came to fruition. By the end of the night, 63 teams and 718 participants had raised a total of $51,625.11 to benefit cancer research.

Monetary donations were not the only way to donate to the cause. Several women cut their hair for Locks of Love, Phi Delta Theta auctioned off several of their eligible young men for dates, and another group of young men (or should I say, ladies?) competed for just the right amount of flamboyance in the annual Ms. Relay competition. Sophomore Patrick Derrickson won Ms. Relay for the second year in a row by collecting the most donations from participants. All together, the Ms. Relay contestants raised approximately $699 in three hours.

Other events included a burrito eating contest, a 90’s trivia contest, a wet T-shirt contest, and a rave. Students could buy strips of tape for Habitat for Humanity’s team, which slowly taped Professor Dr. Brian Scott to a wall in the gym. Senior Alex Anbarcioglu inspired all when he ran all twelve hours to earn a $1,000 donation from President Reiss. Between the antics and the tears, it’s safe to say that this year’s Relay was enjoyed by all.

Relay for Life began at Washington College when senior Devin Reilly founded the WC Chapter of Colleges Against Cancer in 2010. Reilly had good reason to spread cancer awareness and fund research.

“My mom is the main reason that I Relay because she is a two-time survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,” Reilly said. The first trial with cancer was “pretty pain-free,” she said. “She had beaten the disease within a year.” The second battle, however, proved significantly more challenging and included radiation, chemotherapy, drug-induced comas, and a severe case of pneumonia that caused a lung to collapse. Today, Reilly’s mother, though in remission, still walks with a cane.

“I also relay so that no other child will have to see a parent go through what I watched my mom go through. Parents are honestly like superheroes to kids and to have that image shattered was devastating,” Reilly said.

Since its founding in 2010, Relay has grown from the standard ceremony and $35,000 in donations to a year-long series of events, culminating in the 12-hour-long Relay for Life night and earning up to $65,000 a year.

Greek life, faculty, sports teams, and other clubs sponsored more events this year than ever before, Reilly said. “Relay brings millions of people together who are all fighting that same battle to share stories of both triumph and loss and through that, to heal. I also hope that students gain hope and courage from Relay. Hope from hearing all the stories of survivorship and courage from hearing all of the trials the survivors made it through to become cancer free.”

1969: The Vietnam War, Richard Nixon, The Beatles and the creation of the Washington College Dance Program by Professor Karen Smith. Forty-five years later, on the eve of her retirement, Smith has a chance to look back on her years as the dance professor and the artistic director for the Dance Company at WC and enjoy her final annual Spring Dance Recital.

“The dance program has continued to exceed my expectations as WC gets more and more talented and skilled students with a dance background who wish to continue dancing at college while pursuing their degrees in other areas,” said Smith. “Anyone with an interest in dance, including those with little or no prior experience, is welcome to participate in classes offered by the WC Dance Club, from which many dances in the concert are choreographed by the students teaching those classes.”

The shows took place Friday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 20 at 2 p.m. There were about 25 dances in all, each one of them different. On Thursday, there was a shortened performance for local elementary school students brought to campus to watch. The music and choreography in this year’s recital covered everything from ballet to jazz to pop to hip-hop and showtunes.

“All the choreographers pick their songs based on the message or emotion they want to get across to the audience and we try to have a range of types of music to keep the show interesting,” explained freshman and choreographer Rebecca DeSantis.

“Most of the show consists of pieces choreographed and taught by students in the company,” added senior Beilin Zia. “Some of the dances in the show were choreographed and taught in the fall, and then we rehearsed them every other week this spring. Other dances were choreographed and taught this semester, so we have technically been working on this one show since September. We rehearse non-stop.”

The week leading up to the performances, Tech Week, was especially hectic for the dancers. Working around classes and homework, they must practice even more than they have been.

“We rehearse on the stage from 5 p.m. until around midnight or later,” said junior Kathryn Thoemke. “We have weekly rehearsals all semester for every single dance. Choreography is taught early in the semester so we use the rest of the time to clean and perfect our dances.”

All in all, the performances of the Spring 2013 Dance Recital were energetic, emotional and very professional. Their hard work is not only something that the dancers and their teachers should be proud of, but something that the entire campus should celebrate.

“Yes, after 45 years, I am hanging up my tap shoes,” said Smith. “But I’m retiring knowing that I drew in students to the program, many with no dance background, gave them skills they didn’t have, improved their technique and artistry, and fostered a lifelong appreciation for dance. My hope is that WC will support and encourage the growth of the dance program and see it as an indispensable part of a liberal arts education.”

The day started with a certain type of anxiety that only an 11-year losing streak can explain. To the students, this was a biannual event held smack-dab in the middle of an inconvenient week. To the players, this was the moment they had been working to perfect all season long. To the seniors, this was their last War. And had the Shoremen not mounted an incredible fourth quarter comeback under the direction of Coach Jeff Shirk, all of Washington College would have been disappointed yet another year.

Though the win over Salisbury isn’t “news” per se, the feeling of triumph is lingering on. And why shouldn’t it? Entire generations have missed what it feels like to be on the winning side of War on the Shore. Nearly three classes have passed through WC without walking away from Kibler Field disappointed.

The culture behind War too has changed. Losing the biggest game of the season—or the year for that matter—11 years in a row has disillusioned many. Nothing will ever make War any less of a festival, but winning grants legitimacy to the madness.

The Shoremen came together for the biggest event in their game, and our year, and fought their way to a win that will not soon be forgotten. The game could have easily extended the drought—considering the Seagulls scored five goals combined in the second and third quarter to WC’s one.

Headed into the fourth quarter—down by one—the Shoremen had their work cut out for them.

Senior Zach Fuller commented after the game, “We made the big plays when it counted. Our team defense was clicking all night and having Ted in cage making some of the unbelievable saves that he did really allowed us to play with complete confidence and know that if any one person made a mistake the rest of the team was there to bail them out.”

No one man made the difference during the game. Sophomore Grant Hughes was the only Shoremen to have a multi-goal night (2). Of the seven goals scored, six Shoremen found the score sheet.

Headed into the fourth, Fuller felt confident in his defense. “We have always found a way to win close games this season and I knew that if we could make a few stops the offense would do the rest. We just took it one play at a time and didn’t hold anything back until the very end.,” he said.

“Heading into the fourth quarter we kept stressing to the guys to concentrate on making the next play. We wanted to keep them focused on battling back one play at a time instead of feeling overwhelmed being down by four goals. Once the ball got rolling everyone’s attitude on the sideline was that we are going to be hard to stop as long as we get the next play,” said Coach Shirk on heading into the fourth quarter.

The defense played immaculate keeping the Seagulls clean off the board in the fourth. The offense played selflessly, dishing the ball off to anyone with a clear shot.

With close to a minute left in the game—now tied at six—Junior Hunter Nowicki took a pass from Sid Looney. It wasn’t a perfect play, it wasn’t pretty either. Instead, Nowicki juggled the pass and nearly lost possession. But in a war of wills, he out worked his defender—scooping the failed pass, driving the lane, and taking a shot.

His would be the game winning goal, and for an entire minute the entire WC community roared while playing with the idea that they would finally own the day.

As minutes tend to do, it expired, and Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium (including the “Hill”) exploded into madness.
Finally, not since 2002 had the Shoremen brought home the Charles B. Clark Cup to Chestertown.

“Winning the game and holding up the cup was the best moment of my lacrosse career and having it happen at home in my senior season made it that much more special. Going from a four win team my freshmen year to what we are now is a true testament to how hard we have all worked,” said Fuller.

“It was a great game and a great day for WAC,” said goalie Ted DiSalvo after the game.

Finally, the mastermind behind the win, Coach Shirk commented on the coveted trophy. “Bringing the Charles B. Clark Cup to Chestertown is a big deal… The tradition of pride at WAC is second to none and it is pretty special that we had an opportunity to add to that pride by re-claiming the Charles B. Clark Cup.”

The win will not easily be forgotten—after all, who could forget the time we had War on Wednesday?

This past Friday in Cain Gym, Jocelyn Faro, Tim Meren, and synth-pop band Hellogoodbye put on a fun-filled two hour long performance open to any students on campus. For those who couldn’t make it out of some silly fear of a tornado, you missed out on a neat collision of acoustic, electric, and synthesized sounds crossed with indie rock rhythms and melodies.

Starting off the evening, Jocelyn Faro and Tim Meren demonstrated their abilities at acoustic and electric guitar respectively. Each played a number of cover songs during their sets which would get the crowd pumped and ready for a good show. Unfortunately, they did not get the opportunity to really represent themselves as professional musicians. In a solo instrument performance of only about half an hour, no one really gets the time to shine. Despite this limitation, both Faro and Meren showed adeptness at their craft and the ability to keep cool on the stage. It’s hard to call them exciting acts, but they certainly aren’t bad acts either.

After the openers, Hellogoodbye, whose name may very well be a reference to The Beatles song of the same name, put on a good hour or so of original tunes and comedic antics. The band has considerable energy on stage, and their lead singer Forrest Kline would keep the audience excited between songs with jokes about pulling off the tough guy look in an indie band, something you rarely see. Kline also has the physique of a twig.

It’s a good thing that the band could keep chemistry with the audience between songs, because it was clear that each song required a fair bit of prepping from their equipment before they could actually get to performing a song. Everyone in the band either had a rig of pedal switches or midi controls (which are like controllers for triggering notes or effects) sitting in front of them at all times. The band also had a laptop on stage with Ableton Live software that was no doubt adding in synthesizers to join their guitar and drum work.

This was another thing that made the band so impressive. In addition to using unusual instruments, such as the ukulele and mandolin, Hellogoodbye successfully implemented electronic grooves into their songs and added in some neat echo and reverberation effects to their instruments. This was all while varying the rhythm, avoiding a strict tempo which many artists like to do now days. This variation could be another reason why Hellogoodbye references The Beatles, another band notorious for their “beat” and rhythmic peculiarities.

However, it’s hard to say that Hellogoodbye has a truly original style. Their songs share similar elements with many indie-rock and pop bands of the age, as well as borrow elements from the classic rock masters of the past. As soon as I heard their first song, I could not help but instantly think that their style reminded me of some group I knew of. They are an amalgamation of a number of different performances, but most frequently are reminiscent of Peter, Bjorn and John, Ambulance LTD, and at times a sense of The Smashing Pumpkins or The Flaming Lips would arise.

This is not to say that Hellogoodbye is indistinguishable from any other indie-pop band out there. In a lot of ways their fusion of different sounds is also what makes them stand out. Their incorporation of numerous techniques into their sound is additionally something which most performers do not do. Kline for example had loaded a voice clip into one of his controllers that triggered the audio from different points in different pitches. This is something I’m only used to hearing in dance music, so that was a nice change.

All in all, this past Friday was awesome. Hellogoodbye put on an impressive performance and are definitely a band worth looking into. If you missed them, check them out online.

Over the last year I’ve had the pleasure of writing on a variety of subjects. Some may have seemed abstruse or esoteric, some banal. But the common point I wished to convey with every article was this: these things matter. Space, scientific research, human augmentation, and yes, even copyright. All these things matter.

The development of science and technology is accelerating at a breakneck pace, and now, more than ever, dictating the shape of our society. Think back to a time before smartphones. Before laptops, before ubiquitous computing and social networking. In a way, it seems almost unthinkable, doesn’t it? All that happened in just the last decade, give or take. Society has changed fundamentally.

And these changes aren’t going to stop. Our technological reach is getting longer every day, growing exponentially by the year. Pretty soon, the human species will have access to a variety of potent and disruptive technologies. Some of them I’ve talked about: genetic engineering, nanotechnology, human augmentation, artificial intelligence. They’re known as “disruptive technologies” because they have the potential to do just that to the status quo. They will not just change society, they will throw it out the window and build a new one from the ground up.

And that is why it’s so important that we begin to prepare for them. That we think about how to handle these tools before they’re accessible. These technologies, if applied correctly, could bring about transformative shifts that would make today’s society look like the dark ages. They could do things we never dared dream were possible. Eliminate hunger, poverty, scarcity. Cure all disease, even take away aging and death. Take us all the way across the galaxy.

Or they could destroy us. A nanoplague, bioweapon, or strong AI with a negligently designed utility function could wipe us out much more efficiently than global warming or terrorism. These technologies are so potent that it would be an act of utter foolishness not to prepare for them. If we’re not ready for them, then by the time we finally lay our hands on them, they very well may consume us. Any technology can be used for good or ill. It’s the user that matters. And in this case, the user is us. All of us.
Which is why I’m asking you to think. That’s what I set out to do with these columns. All I ask is that you consider, even if just for a minute, where we’re going as a planet, as a species. Consider that it’s not any one group or faction who decides how the world develops. It’s all of us, by our words and actions. Consider that these issues exist, that they matter, and that what we sow now by our preparations (or lack thereof) we will reap a hundredfold in the future. And then consider what you want to do about it.

Nothing? I can’t stop you. But I strenuously advise against burying your head in the sand. Ostriches don’t actually do it, and neither should you. But if you want to know more, I suggest looking up the Oxford Future of Humanity Institute, the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, and the writings and publications of Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nick Bostrom. They make a living studying these issues, and are far more qualified to comment on them than I. Even if you choose not to act, at least be aware. These are the issues that will shape our future, and we have to live with the future we create. It’s in our hands.
I’d like to thank everyone who made it possible for me to badger you all with my words. My editor, Katie Tabeling. Our editor-in-chief, Maegan Clearwood, and the rest of The Elm staff. My friends, for putting up with me and helping me as necessary. Julia, for everything. And most of all, thank you for reading.

I’m a reclusive, commuting sophomore who’s into the subgenres of metal and alternative music. I don’t spend a lot of time on campus because I feel unrelated to other students and no sponsored events seem to be relevant to my interests. However, I want to give a shout out to Mike Liberto and anyone else involved in bringing Hellogoodbye to campus last Friday.

I didn’t think that the band was well known (I only know their single “Here In Your Arms”), so I was pleasantly shocked with the turn out of the crowd. I’m usually vocal about my various experiences of concerts full of mosh pits and lifting crowd surfers, but it was relaxing to be surrounded by people obviously ecstatic about being within 20 feet of a live performing band yet also respected personal space. Everyone was beaming, and for a few hours it was easy to forget the earthly troubles and tornado warning to simply just exist together.

That forgetful bliss of concerts is the feeling I constantly yearn for. It’s easy for everyone to say they like music, but it takes on another level when it numbs mental illnesses and unites listeners as a semblance of a home. I’m such a concert junkie because being in pits is the only place that feels right. I’ve been to roughly 30 shows within the past four years, which may sound like a lot, but that’s really only 30 nights out of 1,460 days I didn’t feel judged, but was united and whole, communally joined to whoever was next to me in a mosh pit because it was the one place where everyone supported each other. Maybe the rarity of that feeling enhances all my concert experiences, but it inadvertently leads to a painful existence of feeling like a freak, isolated from most of my peers because of our outrageous differences.

Diversity is all well and good, but I don’t think campus practices what it preaches. I know some of my alienation is self imposed, but campus lacks clubs and activities that play on my musical interests and I further fold inwardly upon myself. There’s a disconnection between my happiness and Washington’s social environment, and it’s played a huge factor in my decision to transfer after this semester. Maybe it’s easiest to write me off as an oddity and ignore my transferring, but I truly do fear for any prospective student like me because this exiled feeling is not easy to live with. College should allow individuals to explore themselves and expressions, but I feel shut down on campus without that opportunity here.

However, after this weekend, I am proud to now expand my concert repertoire to include Hellogoodbye, with their delightful indie sound and cute stage antics. But I’m prouder to say that Washington College booked a small alternative band, had an enthused crowd, and I felt home again.

Sincerely,
Katie Braune ‘15

Commentary on Justin Bieber’s Visit to Anne Frank House and His Fans’ Reactions

There are very few celebrities that I care about less than Justin Bieber. Normally, I just tune out the barrage of news stories surrounding his success, his failures, his breakup with Selena Gomez, and more inane details of his life that in no way pertain to mine. However, last week, Justin Bieber did something that I found myself caring about. On April 12, Justin Bieber visited the Anne Frank House, on what he called a “chill day,” according to his Twitter feed. The Anne Frank House posted about his visit on their Facebook page, stating that Bieber’s fans were waiting outside of the house to catch a glimpse of him, and that Bieber signed the guestbook with the message “Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.”

While this may be something that Bieber might say about any other 15 year-old girl, the fact that Bieber made this statement about Anne Frank is appalling. Frank was a young girl in hiding during the Holocaust from 1943 to 1945, who was ultimately captured and died of typhus in a concentration camp. Her diary of her life in hiding remains one of the most accurate representations of life during this time period. Bieber’s comment, while most likely well intentioned, disregards Frank’s struggle completely, merely reducing her to another potential fan, instead of an inspiring icon of one of the darkest times in human history, and makes his visit to the Anne Frank House more about his own star power rather than Anne Frank.

What is perhaps more disturbing about this incident, is the reaction of Bieber’s fans. While Bieber’s actions are atrocious, his fans were lined up outside of the Anne Frank House only to see him, without any intention to see the Anne Frank House, nor any consideration for the historical significance of that place. In the grand scheme of things, these fans that would go to a historic place to see a 19 year-old pop star, have done more disrespect than Bieber has. By choosing to give Bieber this much influence and popularity, these fans have chosen to make him more significant and noteworthy than Anne Frank. This warped perception of importance and significance is incredibly telling because it reveals that being a celebrity is valued in this society over anything else. To Bieber, the presence of his fans at the Anne Frank House excuses his actions and makes it acceptable for him to have made the experience more about him and his fan base, instead of being about learning about Anne Frank and her struggle.

By not speaking out against this type of behavior from his fans, and even having other celebrities defending his words, Bieber’s prominence and vanity is outweighing the historical significance of any event or place. The sheer hero worship of our celebrities is coming to a head in that, as a society, we seem to worship those who entertain us over any other prominent figure. The idea that Bieber’s actions are acceptable and worth defending demonstrates that if you are a celebrity, vanity is allowed, accepted, and encouraged. The actions of Bieber and his fans show us how disgustingly far celebrity hero worship has gone. As college students, we can encourage the education and proper respect for those who have had true historical significance, rather than continue this trend of hero worship for those whose only goal is to entertain the masses and feed their own egos.