What happened to the good ol’ days my grandpa used to tell me about, when the worst kind of scuffle you could end up in had you going fist-to-fist? Even if you lost terribly, you just had a black eye and a cut on your cheek. This recent assault involving our hockey players (“Athletes hospitalized after getting ‘jumped,'” Dec. 4, p. 1) underscores a contemporary problem: An unethical victory is an acceptable victory.

Militarily, we’ve invaded a sovereign country to remove a citizen we didn’t like (WMD or no WMD, that’s what it was about), setting a horrible world precedent. Just think of how much most of the world would like to get rid of President George W. Bush. Effectively, we’ve fought to internationally legitimize the ability of a nation or group of nations to form an alliance with a dramatic name like the “Coalition of the Willing” to overthrow the government of another sovereign state.

Politically, we’ve decided it’s okay to win an office in this country by undercutting the competition instead of earning it by having something valuable to contribute. Political advertisements don’t say, “I’m Joe Somebody and I’m going to clean up the parks in Sometown by establishing Thispubliccompany.” We read instead, “Joe Competition sexually harassed somebody 35 years ago, and if you take this remark made 27 years ago out of context, Joe Competition’s a complete racist (think Arnold Schwarzenegger’s and Kinky Friedman’s gubernatorial campaigns, respectively). Do you really want to have him lead your government? He might sell your children on the black market, too…”

Too much politics? How about companies that pay $2.25 an hour to illegal immigrants to save money on costs? Wal-Mart isn’t the only company to do this. Almost every construction company hires out illegal immigrants, at least where I’m from (Texas); they’re called day laborers and they do skilled, efficient work in a 12 to 14 hour day, breaking more sweat than most Americans do in a month, for enough money to just buy a few happy meals for their kids, because, hey, that’s the American Dream. It’s ridiculous that hard work goes uncompensated so some guy in a big comfortable chair can increase his profits by 0.01 percent. When will ethics play a role in corporate decisions?

So what does this have anything to do with hockey, or fighting or our recent fighting incident involving our hockey players? Because, folks, weapons were involved. Fighting can be a healthy (if you use the term loosely) way to resolve anger and disputes. Rarely does somebody get seriously injured in a fistfight. Nobody’s busting girls’ jaws open with baseball bats and leaving blood on doorsteps. Police don’t need to stop solving murders, and ambulances can focus on getting to children who stumbled upon the bleach underneath the sink.

When I was a kid and two boys wanted to fight, we grabbed boxing gloves and went at it. Nobody really got hurt, and you could wail on the other guy seemingly forever. Weapons are a no-no. They’re an unfair advantage, and it’s just plain dangerous to bring a weapon into any situation unless you’re fearing for your life. The altercation Sunday morning has happened, and there’s no changing it; but if you see a fight coming, or even want to pick one, see if you can just slug it out. You’ll thank me when you’re not waiting for a concussion screening or trying to study for finals from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

So, play ball, even the hard way if you have to, but play it with integrity. Play as if your grandparents were in the stands.

Justin Williamson is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.