Ryan ChartrandWell, today I open my paper to find not one, not two, but three different articles bashing the Mustang Daily for implying that Spencer Wood was drunk at the time he died. All of them praised him and what he had acheived in life, and not one of them seemed the least bit inclined to admit that he had a single flaw.
This, I find, is the problem with memorials. When I die, I want it known that I strived for future space colonization and that I loved playing dodgeball, but I also want it known that I was a bit lazy and a bit egotistical. What’s the point of a memorial if it’s not honest? When I’m memorialized, I want to be a real person, and to quote the Barenaked Ladies, “anyone perfect must be lying.”
Why is it so wrong to admit that in the midst of his caring, kindness, and charisma, Spencer Wood made a few mistakes in his life?
It’s not overly impressive for a perfect person to be kind, caring, and talented, but I think it makes a person far more memorable if they did these things while overcoming some shortcomings.
So please, stop and think before you portray Mr. Wood as Christ reborn (the feeling I get from these articles), and let’s remember who he really was: a good friend, a charitable person, and just perhaps, someone who drank more than he should have one night in his entire life.
Troy Kuersten
Aerospace engineering and physics senior