| Ben and I are sitting in on our school's first pep rally on Friday. We're both dreading it, us being intelligent human life that know better than to squaller in this depressing activity of letting people control your beliefs. The tennis coach, a man I greatly respected two years ago, has created a chant for everyone to perform. It goes: "Stop! Drop! Panthers will rise to the top! Ohhhh Noooo! Panthers in full control!" Both of us found this hilarious, primarily because everyone was calling it a song and referring to these words as lyrics. In order for something to be lyrics, don't they have to have a meaning?
We started to analyze this. What if panthers were in full control? What kind of government would they have? It turned into this idea that this song was the precedent for a jungle version of Animal Farm. Ben and I were being modern-day McCarthy(s), naming everyone we found a little "under the belt" as a card-carrying communist.
Being huge rebels as we are, during the alma mater, when told to be quiet, Ben started to sing the chant. Cheerleaders were flipping us off, and occasionally, a girl in front of us would turn around and stare in awe at one of the two of us, then turn back around.
1984 has already begun. Training and the thought police are attending our pep rallies. Do your part. Skip them. | 
