Zink: In defense of nemeses
This is what a medieval joust looks like today: Two students, armed with the vague sensation that they are acquaintances, approach one another from opposite ends of an empty hallway. Tension grows. One, defeated, looks away — but nobody cheers. There is no clattering of hooves, but a muffled vocalization, perhaps a half-grunted “hey.”
Tragically, this bland sort of interaction now encompasses a whole range of social dispositions. We can picture the actors in this tableau being enemies, or Facebook friends, or both. They might both have wanted to stop and talk, but haven’t, for fear...
