Kosovo vs. Chechnya. A brutal civil war in the Balkans was eventually brought to a halt by U.S.-led intervention; a brutal civil war within Russia rages on, garnering nothing more than clucks from the West. Are we to be so political about mass murder of civilians in years to come?

Trade vs. human rights. Sino-American relations are always warmed by trade issues and cooled by China’s rather flawed human-rights record. Our schizophrenic attitude toward China must come to some resolution if we are to figure out a coherent way to deal with the twenty-first century’s emergent superpower.

Gun freedom vs. gun control. Bloody school shootings, particularly that at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, galvanized the debate over gun control, and also provided right-wing extremists a chance to show their worst. It is amazing that Charlton Heston can rage against further controls on gun ownership, and saddening that he is cheered by millions.

Gay rights vs. ‘traditional values.’ Gays in the military, gay marriage, new hate-crimes legislation on one hand; moral zealots, Pat Buchanan and Alan Keyes, and intolerant, shamefully anachronistic bigotry on the other. Even after senseless, horrifying acts, like the murder of Matthew Shepard, we are unable to come to consensus on a way to ensure the rights and dignity of all Americans -- unable even to agree that we should.

‘That woman’ vs. partisan bickering. The presidency sinks to a new post-Watergate low; Congress follows. Disillusioned Americans have no choice but to regard their government as a greedy, corrupt, self-obsessed bunch of bickerers. It shouldn’t be impossible to have forthright, trustworthy leaders.

Front-page death vs. back-page death. Freshman Michael Manley’s suicide, typically, attracted no attention; it was completely eclipsed by the now-legendary 1997 drinking death of Scott Krueger. The administration continues to keep its head in the sand, especially with regards to:

Reality vs. media perception. The biggest issue at MIT this year. The Boston Globe, citing the death-by-drugs of Richard Guy ‘99 and an assortment of fraternity hijinks, portrays the Institute as an agglomeration of tense, drugged-out nogoodniks who need a good in-loco-parentis spanking. It’s hard to respond properly; one try is a leukemia rally. Doesn’t provide much insight, but impressive turnout attracts attention.

Protest vs. voting. Whining and complaining aren’t backed up by oomph; students for the most part ignore the Cambridge City Council candidacy of Erik Snowberg ‘99, who goes on to bomb at the polls. At least student government heads provided a single coherent communique to Chancellor Bacow on the housing issue -- maybe we’re advancing by hops and skips.

The only surety about present trends is that we are being split down the middle, even at MIT -- there is no vast middle ‘silent majority’ on the critical issues of the day; there’s only the few who are in the know and the many who don’t know and/or don’t care. Ignorance and indifference are dangerous, and hatred is often a result. We simply have to know, and we sure as hell have got to care, if we want a legacy greater than that bequeathed to ‘Generation X’ by the current crop of sneering media types.

A twenty-first-century social renaissance, much touted by tech-heads as the logical consequence of spiffy new democratizing communications technologies, is not inevitable. We must rediscover the meaning of the word community, must set our sights above piles of stock certificates and past our computer screens, if we are to have a real chance at constructing the first truly civilized society the world has ever known. We can do it. All it takes is the spirit.