Bear Revolution
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Maxine K. signed
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My Fellow brothers, both bear and antibear:
I
have been thinking long and hard about how best to respond as head bear
to the tragic acts of the past 48 hours, and have come to the
conclusion that the best way of responding will be through the power of
words. So I appeal to you, my brotherhood, to hear what it is that I
have to say.
The roll of bear is, in some ways, far more
difficult to fulfill than the roll of antibear. We exist solely for the
purpose of being cute and cuddly- and so all we can do is be cute and
cuddly. We really have no way of opposing the dark forces of antibear,
which exist merely to oppose us in whatever form they deem most
appropriate. As somebody wise once said somewhere, all things must exist
in balance. But I ask you- in this case, do we
really need this balance?
A
bit on this history of the maimed bear: he didn't even have a name,
other than what we bears affectionately called him- "the Phi Tau bear".
He was a small, white, exceptionally cuddly bear with a blue phi tau
brazened on his chest. He arrived in the house during a moment of pure
joy last spring, when Catherine sank her bid- he appeared, sitting on he
dining room table amidst cupcakes and brothers, smiling. He was a gift
for the house- but, as none of us wanted him to be damaged by the
hateful antibears, The Phi Tau bear was given into the custody of the
holder of the bear bequeathal as a personal bear. For a time, he lived
happily in Emmi's Room; often when I walked by or visited him, I would
see the Phi Tau bear lying happily in his bed or perched on a dresser
watching over everything. Time passed, the '14s graduated, and to my
great joy the Phi Tau bear was one of the final gifts bestowed on me in
my new capacity of bear by Emmi before he left campus.
This
is where my role in the life of the Phi Tau bear comes in. For a few
days after graduation, I carried this bear around with me wherever I
went, glad for a new friend and happy to be sharing life with it. The
Phi Tau bear would sit next to me on the chapter room couch while I
read, or on my lap while I caught up with and cried over my favorite TV
shows over interim. Eventually, The Phi Tau bear took up a permanent
residency in my bed fort, where he would lie in waiting and meet me
every night just before I went to bed, offering comfort and a sense of
constancy to the otherwise hectic Dartmouth lifestyle. All through the
night, he would be there, encircled in my arms, a calming presence on
those nights when I woke up plagued by night-terrors; and every morning I
would pat him goodbye and head off to class, knowing that he would be
there when I returned.
When I departed at the end of summer
term for the Stretch, I left the Phi Tau Bear in a place I thought
would be safe from the forces of antibear, where he could continue to
provide love and comfort and cuteness for the brotherhood. It was not to
be. Somehow during my absence, he was captured, and this past week
discovered in a box of what should have been cake, gruesomely murdered
and dismembered. In losing the Phi Tau bear, I lost an important friend and companion.
I
cannot fault Katie, Catherine, or the antibears for what they have
done. Catherine gave the Phi Tau bear to the house (and, by extension,
to the bear) and so by right it was hers to take away again and to
destroy. But I cannot but think that the antibears don't fully
understand what it is they are doing.
During my time of
grieving after meetings on Wednesday, it was suggested to me in an act
of comfort that we hold a ceremony of remembrance and burial, a funeral,
for the Phi Tau bear. But I don't want another funeral. There is enough
death in the world as it is; I have been to enough funerals for humans.
But what the antibears fail to understand is that when
they destroy a bear such as this one, it is not only the bear that is
being destroyed but an entire life. With the Phi Tau bear gone, the
memories become tinged, darker, and begin to fade- the memories memories
of the brotherhood standing around a table in the dining room eating
cupcakes and preparing to welcome Catherine into our ranks; memories of
Emmi standing outside my door with the Phi Tau bear held in outstretched
hands, passing it on; memories of cuddling and comfort during dark
times this past summer- these are now all tainted by the memory of
opening a box expecting cake and finding the bloody, torn-up body of my
friend the Phi Tau bear.
And the thing is, it's not just
this bear. All bears have these memories associated with them; even
house bears have once been loved by someone, have offered comfort at
some point. And even if the actual killing is hidden from the eyes of
certain brothers, the fact remains that the bear is gone. I use this
word- killing- because that, essentially is what the antibears are
doing. And over the past few days, I have been shocked by the number of
brothers who have stepped forward to provide support or congratulations
for the antibear cause after their victory this week. I can only hope
that they fail to realize what it is that is being done. Hopefully, by
providing you all with a snapshot into the psyche of the bear, I have
shown you all the truth.
The revolution that I propose,
therefore, isn't one of radical action or reordering. There will not be
more bears strewn around the house for the antibears to destroy. No,
instead I propose the complete abolishment of the role of antibear, a
roll that serves to propagate hate and sadness throughout the house. I
realize that this is, in many ways, even more radical than the former
bear revolution. But I believe that it is the only way forward, the only
way to cleanse our hands of the past and to move forward, ensuring the
future safety of the bears that we care about. I ask you all for your
support in this revolution, and that if you agree with what I am saying
that you sign this petition for the abolishment of the antibear. Phi Tau
is meant to be a safe place for all who seek it- should this not also
include our teddy-bear friends?
Sincerely
Your house bear,
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