We would like to start by stating we are not bitter that we are not "The Bachelor." After long, tear-filled nights, it has become clear that giving a girl cheap beer and a wink is a more effective way to be eligible at DePauw. Despite the excitement we have for seeing our friends on "The Bachelor," we hope the campus will leave the value of the show where it belongs — in the realm of entertainment. To do otherwise undermines the values we feel the DePauw community is blessed to have, including a deep, dynamic perspective of relationships rather than a superficial concept of dating.
It seems all too prevalent in popular media to equate genuine affection with superficial qualities like looks, popularity and wealth. Shows like "The Bachelor" epitomize superficiality in contemporary society; rather than taking a deep look into the soul of those participants on "The Bachelor," he is compelled to search, in a necessarily shallow way, through a group of women in order to even begin to get to know them all. Likewise, with limited one-on-one time, it would seem each girl is forced to "fight" the others for the attention of the man. This does little for growing a healthy relationship with someone she cares about. In creating a paradigm of rigid rules and a dog-eat-dog attitude toward winning, not much is done for "love." This framing of relationships in terms of girls winning or losing a man makes for some unhealthy, poorly-planned relationships.
Besides the short amount of time that can be allotted for each interaction, the very existence of cameras makes the sense of social pressure inherent to unhealthy relationships tangible. Rather than giving attention to a significant other, it may be that people simply "perform for the cameras," as social pressures would inhibit genuine examination of another in actual romantic interaction. This spectacle represents a grave danger to fostering an environment where relationships are rich and genuine. To the extent we move toward a community that applauds pleasing the crowd rather than looking deep into the heart of another, we jettison pleasing those whom we truly care about as well as ourselves. After all the laughs and tears of the show, don't get fooled into thinking that you are "The Bachelor" (or, of course, "The Bachelorette").
DePauw, please accept our rose and take what you see on D3TV with a grain of hilarious salt. Our great university fosters a close-knit environment that enables deep human interaction and responsible dating. Let's not lose that uniqueness and look for potential mates on the basis of superficiality and social pressure.
— Burns is a sophomore political science major from West Lafayette, Ind. He is an anchor for D3TV's The Source. Kirkpatrick is a sophomore political science major from Overland Park, Kan. They are the co-hosts of DePauwlitics, heard Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on WGRE.
opinion@thedepauw.com