Lesson No. 1 – It is not wise to speak on a subject that you don’t have any knowledge of. Not only does it make you appear uneducated, but it also reflects a lack of common sense.It amazes me how people are so quick to jump to conclusions before fully understanding the history, the depth and the reasons behind why things happen.Everything has a reason and everything serves a purpose. It’s not a matter of favoritism, or who gets the upper hand over another; it’s about keeping order, and giving respect – period.Imagine this: You are on the Set Friday afternoon, waiting for one of the Greek-lettered organizations to start their probate. You see them bringing the new line of pledges through, and as they walk past, you want to make a quick run to the other side.Do you a) cut through their line, or do you b) wait until they pass and proceed to where you are going?Common sense, huh?Yeah, I chose the second one too.It is no different with the Marching “100”. And as a member of the Marching “100” I am going to set the record straight.When the band lines up in Rattler formation to enter into a stadium, or wherever the performance may be, we don’t tell people to go around or wait until we pass just to hear ourselves speak. Most of the time, we are working on a time schedule, and are required to be in place when called upon.Contrary to what some may believe, we don’t think that we are God’s gift to the world, we don’t think the world revolves around us and we don’t expect to be treated as such. We do acknowledge that people want to get to where they are going just as easily and accessibly as the band. But we have a show to perform, and nobody wants to hear that the reason why the band was late was because they got caught in traffic.Also, we are looking out for the safety of others. The band can start playing at any given time. If you decide to cut through the band while we are playing, then you are bound to get hit accidentally by a member who just might be doing the horn swing.When it all boils down to it, everything we do, whether it is liked or not, is for a reason. We don’t ask for favors and we don’t expect anything in return. All we ask is that when we come through that you give us enough respect not to cut our ranks.Respect is earned, not given; we have earned our respect, so why not treat us as such?
DeAnna L. Carpenter , 21, a junior newspaper journalism student from Detroit.She is a Deputy news editor of The Famuan. can be reached at deannalynette@hotmail.com.