One in eight Americans goes hungry each and every day. But judging by the actions of students during lunch, one would assume this grim statistic to be a sick joke.

The belligerence and ignorance displayed by students today could so easily be risen above. Or, more to the point, what happened today is the prime example of the “Lovejoy Way.”

Not the “Lovejoy Way” that the district tries every day to live up to, as evidenced by the Graduate Profile and Classroom Expectations that hang on the walls of every classroom. This is more like the Lovejoy stereotype that we have allowed ourselves to be limited by. While certainly not an accurate depiction of our entire student body or faculty, the Lovejoy stereotype is usually summed up in three simple words: rich white kids.

    While this may be accurate for some students, it’s not the case for all and the actions at lunch do nothing to help break down this stereotype.  What could possibly be more evident of a class-induced hapless disregard for food than a food fight, when nearly 13 percent of Americans go hungry each day?

Some students on campus have no regard whatsoever for the harsh reality that food is not as plentiful everywhere else as it is here. It is not students’ faults that they attend an affluent district and are unaware of the scarcity and importance of food that we take for granted, but the least they can do is respect it.

    And let’s not forget that actions have consequences. Who did the food fight masterminds think would clean up the mess that they so belligerently created?

Our custodial staff, of course.  The men and women who stay each day until well past sundown unclogging our toilets, sweeping our hallways, picking up our litter, and painting over our graffiti. Because their jobs are not hard enough. Because they do not have families of their own that they would like to see. Because they do not wish they had the opportunities that we have. Because they do not have to clean up the completely avoidable and unnecessary mess of all those involved in the food fight.

There are plenty of rumors circulating about the origins of this food fight, chief among them that technology had a heavy role in its organization. Students communicated through group text messages that spread virally through the student body. Then they went table-to-table, assuring that they had near-full participation in the chaos to come.

If this is the case, then obviously the masterminds behind this are not stupid. They know how to organize an event, whether destructive or not, and see it through without alerting the attention of faculty. In a way, it is rather admirable; if only these food fight organizers weren’t confined by the Lovejoy stereotype instead of redefining it, they could actually use their skills for something productive.

We have the chance to lift ourselves past being the butt of other schools’ jokes. And until we move beyond committing these insensitive and irresponsible acts, we will never appear to be anything more than the Lovejoy stereotype.

What did you think of the food fight?

• It was unbelievably wasteful and disrespectful.
• It was just gross, how is throwing food fun?
• It was fun at the time, but the cleanup and schedule delay was annoying.

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