Valentine’s Prank

So, I’m sure by now almost everyone on campus has heard about the student roaming through Angell Hall in fatigues, a gas mask and empty ammunition pack. Alarmed by this student, the police were called in, and although any evidence of foul play was dismissed, the student claiming to be playing a joke, I can’t help but feel a terrible sense of disarm at what occurred. The student may have claimed ot be playing a joke, but the implications of his action were monumentally more significant than he was aware of, clearly. Did he intend for the police to be involved, for the entire campus to shudder in fear? Maybe, maybe not.

The student claims that his joke stems from a desire to play against Valentine’s Day, the hallmark holiday that invariably leaves singles feeling all the more alone and those in relationships an excuse to buy presents and lavish in one another’s presence. Either way, the holiday has developed into an one filled with anxiety, whether one is in a relationship or not. But so much so that a student felt the need to act out in this fashion? I’m honestly shocked. With the degree of violence happening around the nation in the last decade, a joke like this is inarguably not funny.

All this makes me wonder, however, whether the real culprit in this prank is Valentine’s Day itself. Does the holiday put such pressure on all that these types of actions are merely par for the course? It’s truly hard for me to believe, but if such is the case, does that mean we, as Americans, need to rethink the emphasis placed on the holiday? Invariably, people without significant others are going to feel lonely today, and feel that they are alone in being alone (if that makes any sense?) The amount of oddslot drinking or depression induced acts on this day must be higher than on average day (as today’s incident seems to show). So, what’s the answer? Take away the holiday or possibly revise and reframe the way Americans view the holiday and the emphasis placed on it?

For more info: http://www.michigandaily.com/news/police-enter-angell-hall-after-reports-suspicious-behavior