Live Breathe and Die

Archive for September, 2007

I had a nice message from the editor in chief of the actual student newspaper at the University of Oregon.  Her writing did not bear any resemblance to the left wing radicals that I so often associate with any publication in the northwest.  She pointed out two corrections that should be mentioned regarding my article entitled ‘The double standard in American universities.’

The first correction is that the Insurgent newspaper at the University of Oregon is not the official student newspaper there.  The official newspaper is the Oregon Daily Emerald.  Apparently, the Insurgent is an alternative paper printed once or twice every term.  During the national debate that occurred after the Insurgent printed it’s sickening depictions of Christ, many media outlets erroneously referred to the Insurgent as the student newspaper at UO.

Apparently, the other point that I had observed incorrectly was that the Insurgent reprinted the controversial edition again this past May.  According to the Emerald’s editor, the copies that were distributed in May ’07 were leftover issues from the May ’06 printing.  On this point, I would hold the Insurgent no less guilty of fanning the flames of controversy and bigotry, as they had with the original distribution.

The Insurgent certainly has the first amendment right to print whatever it needs too in it’s exercise of free expression, but there would be a national uproar if the KKK was allowed to distribute a newspaper on the campus of UO. 

While freedom of expression should be applauded and censorship limited, it is the reaction of the local administration and faculty that was the point of my article. Bigotry expressed through a KKK publication is viewed as unacceptable, but bigotry by an alternative, liberal publication gets a pass.

My thanks to the editor of the real student newspaper at UO for pointing out the inaccuracies in my story.  Rational minds should always prevail, even though this may not always be the case in the future.

Last year the student newspaper at the University of Oregon printed several depictions of Christ that were extremely disturbing and offensive to millions of Christians worldwide.  The faculty at UO and its president supported the student newspaper and defended any attempt to censure what they printed.  The whole experience was allowed to blow over without any internal condemnation at the university.

There is now a similar situation at Central Connecticut State University.  The circumstances are different and the response from the university is different.  A comic that ran in the student newspaper depicted a fictional character stating that they had locked a 14-year old Latino girl in a closet and urinated on her.  There is now a national uproar in response to the comic and widespread condemnation within the university community including faculty.

Why the stark contrast in the response to these two incidents?  One offends millions of Christians worldwide with vile depictions of the historical Messiah at the center of Christianity and the other offends the Hispanic students at the CCSU. In the recent incident, university faculty are calling for the ouster of the student newspaper editor and in the UO case the faculty was silent.

Why this double standard in higher education?  Why is it okay to offend Christians everywhere with a disgusting depiction of the symbol of their faith, but it is considered intolerable to make a demeaning comment about a fictional character who is described as ’Latino.’  The response of the two university communities is telling.

Universities are microcosms united by the political and social viewpoints of their faculties and administrations.  These same viewpoints, which have been part of every students pre-university indoctrination, are conveyed to students in higher ed every day. They solidify the liberal environment that is the status quo at the great majority of American universities.  Part of this mind set is a loathing and contempt for Christians.

In the case of the student newspaper in Oregon, the sickening depictions of Christ were viewed by faculty and administration as freedom of speech.  They could see no imaginable reason why they should have censored the student newspaper or its editor. They were incensed though by the demands for corrective action by a few Republican Christian legislators in the Oregon house.  Those same lawmakers were shouted down by the larger far-left constituency in their districts.

In Connecticut, its almost certain that the left will gets its way also. Any notion of freedom of speech in this case will not be found and the editor of the student newspaper will be removed from the paper and possibly the university.  While you can declare open season on Christians in a university setting, it is intolerable to allow a fictional character to insult a member of a minority.  Five percent of the students at CCSU are Hispanic.

According to published reports, most of the outcry at Central Connecticut State University is coming from the faculty.  The short three frame comic strip in the student newspaper was in poor taste, but it reflects the shock humor that is so prevalent in television, cable and comedy clubs.  It was clearly not offensive to most students, who are inundated with similar off-color depictions.

The incident with the University of Oregon student newspaper Insurgent has long since blown over.  The paper’s editor was unaffected.  The original vile depictions of Christ were in the May 2006 issue and the Insurgent republished the same depictions this past May.  They knew that the university’s anti-Christian bias promised them a Teflon-like environment where there is no condemnation and nothing sticks anyway. 

Two universities, two student newspapers, two different controversies.  Both deal with a controversy from a left-wing perspective.  Fictional characters win, Christians lose.