It’s Come Down to This?
It’s on the ODE site and clearly attracting comments, so I’ll open it up here.
Today’s ODE Point/Counterpoint, pitting Toby Hill-Meyer against our own editor in chief Tyler Graf.
Also in the editorial of our new issue, this is more than fair:
“So here’s our offer, made publicly and in the spirit of a free press: Toby, if you’re that angry, we’ll give you a page to run in our long-running Another Perspective slot. You would receive 500 — 700 words in every issue, unedited. Say what you like, as long as it’s legal.”
Eloquent, respectful, professional, and worthy of note, Tyler. Good job.
I don’t feel that the Commentator has been treated with respect (Toby the student) or fairness (Senator Hill-Meyer) in regards to this problem. The problems with our content brought to light by Senator Hill-Meyer could have been cleared up with a simple query to the staff, either in person or in email. If ze claims to be too afraid of us to do so, then ze is guilty of judging people before ze knows them, which is something ze dislikes people doing to zim.
Somewhat timely:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4225013.stm
you mean from like springfield? or coburg? maybe this can help…still in service for the next 34 days! http://www.ltd.org
Eh. I don’t see this as an issue of liberals v. conservatives. There are people of both political affiliations (and others) on both sides.
With that said…can anyone give me a ride to Eugene tomorrow?
Also,
“Americans have the right to disseminate information invading personal privacy if the revelation is deemed ‘newsworthy.'”
Ingeniously, the topic of funding the Commentator has shifted from an inept student government attempting to censor free speech on political grounds, to a trial of public political correctness based on satirical speech about a member of the student government.
The trial will go around and around in the public forum because the Commentator has broken no laws, but yet they have offended the power-elite on campus who indiscriminately gives the alms. The real issue is the censoring of speech by those who are offended by it.
For those of you who describe yourselves as liberals, question what is that you most fear about conservatives. Is it that they want to legislate out of existence behaviors that they deem foul? Is it they wish punish those who dont conform to their ideals? But isnt that exactly what the PFC is attempting to do here?
This campus desperately needs a conservative voice of satire. The current political climate is polarized and the Commentator has the ability to soften the arguments to a conversational level. If there was ever a belief to stand up for, it is the freedom of speech and ideas. Our founding fathers knew it, our ancestors fought for it, but now we might be close to dangerous precedents in eliminating our most precious right to share ideas freely.
I think the most ironic part of this whole thing is that Toby considers himself such an oppressed minority, yet he (oh fuck it, I’m just saying “he” goddammit) is using tactics of silencing speech that stink of what a REAL oppressor would do to stifle freedoms of a certain group (in this case, free media). So, in reality, poor, persecuted Toby is the real enemy of freedom and equal rights. It’s just too bad he’s so entrenched in this idea that everybody wants to kill him that he’ll never realize the absurdity of his actions.
Without the power of satire we might as well all slit our wrists now because society would only be full of people like him who take themselves waaaaaay too seriously.
Your post implies there is a problem with the content, which there isn’t. The problem is Toby’s attitude about the content and his willingness to use Stalinist tactics to crush what he deems inappropriate.
Quick, which writer gives any value whatsoever to the principle of free speech?
Is it #1?
And after talking with several administrators, all of them have pointed to de-funding the Commentator through the PFC as the only way campus can respond. And if that’s the case, it would certainly be better than no response at all.
Or #2?
As an unstipended student group, we can’t offer you remuneration, but we can offer you a voice. That’s what we’re here for, after all.
What a difference in tone.