CCSU, The Recorder, & Rape

First to get the FIC on record (0.00 / 0)

on this wins a prize. Is this commentary out of bounds, or is the liberal media PC thought-police just over-reacting to a little humor?

–7.25 / –7.28 | http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/tw...

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by: mattw @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 17:54:52 PM UTC

"Failed to see the humor"?????? (4.00 / 1)

That arrogant little twerp of an editor says that readers just "fail to see the humor" in this "satirical" article.

Huh.  Just like rape victims fail to see the "magic" in their assaults, I guess.

What an asshole.

Unfortunately this attitude is not limited to two misogynistic college twerps - check out some of the comments coming in to the Courant piece:

My only brother was killed by lightning. That is to say, he was killed by the weather. Now, whenever I pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV news, that fact is rubbed in my face, and my wounds open afresh. When I hear someone make a joke about the weather, e.g.,"If you don't like the weather in place X, just wait 5 minutes, hardy har!" or even ask,"How 'bout this weather," I think to myself, I can't believe that in this day and age there is not some authority to stamp out everythign I don't like or find personally offensive! 

and

women these days seem to bitch about anything.

and

I have to agree with "No Way". This is a satirical piece.

It is pretty much an undeniable fact that if you didn't fight back, rape wouldn't hurt. That doesn't make it ok, but the bottom line is it still wouldn't hurt.

My only consolation is knowing that these little shits probably won't get laid 'till they leave college and can find somewhere with some anonymity.  Fortunately, any potential girlfriend who googles this "author" will find this article.

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by: Maura @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 18:10:09 PM UTC

GoogleBomb the Bastard (0.00 / 0)

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by: CGG @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 18:51:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Satire? (4.00 / 1)

According to the dictionary, satire is "a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule." I didn't see that with this piece. Instead, the writer used the rape victim as the object of scorn, derision, and ridicule.

The excuse that this piece pokes fun at sensationalism in the media doesn't make sense either because the message, if it truly was meant to be there, is lost on the incendiary prose. A good satire does not require a reader to do mental gymnastics to figure out what exactly the supposed satirist is trying to say.

The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

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by: connecticutyankee @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 18:23:05 PM UTC

over the top (0.00 / 0)

Since I have not read other writings by this author I can not judge. The obvious feeling is the writer is trying to be way over the top to incite a response. It was funny on the news to see a long line of previous rape victims at the college expressing their anger; channel 3 has become a freak show like Jerry Springer. My bet it was an exercise of the writer to cause the stir, and that he has had previous attempts to cause this same reaction and failed.

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by: soxfan04 @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 18:29:14 PM UTC

It only hurts if you fight it... (0.00 / 0)

You're probably going to get savaged for your comment, but take it like a man and see how it all ends up.  I've put my foot in my mouth here and learned stuff from it.

Just for me, it's never funny to see rape victims educating folks who take up the subject for admittedly cheap jokes.  It may seem like a lot of bluster, but I can't imagine what it would take for me to rejoin society if I or my loved ones were raped.

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by: drowsy @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 19:23:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Really? (0.00 / 0)

It was funny on the news to see a long line of previous rape victims at the college expressing their anger

Funny?

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by: Gabe @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 19:51:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'm sorry... (0.00 / 0)

...but are you actually saying that rape victims are a "freak show"?

I'm going to assume you truly don't mean to offend.  Here's more information on some of John Petroski's previous pieces to give you some background on his hostility towards women.

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by: Maura @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 21:34:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

victims are not the freak show (1.00 / 1)

it is funny, the same day everyone defends the anti catholic statements from 2 Edwards staffers under the first ammendment clause, everyone is now attacking 2 editors from a college newspaper calling for their resignation. It just confuses me, by these standards it is o .k to express anti-catholic sentiment, but never write a parody of the benefits of rape. the 1st ammendment is not just for some speech, it is for all speech.

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by: soxfan04 @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 23:44:13 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Free speech (4.00 / 1)

When Edwards' bloggers expressed their anti-catholic statements, they were attacking the Catholic establishment for their intrusion into women's bodies (contraception, etc.) The bloggers in question were not attacking any victimized group unless you consider the powerful Catholic Church a victim in our society?

On the other hand, Petroski's supposed satire is attacking the victims--raped women (and/or men). I think everyone in the sane universe would agree that if you were raped, you would automatically qualify us a victim.

Not all speech is free. The Supreme Court has put restriction on this right. You are not free to yell, "Fire!" when there isn't in a crowded movie theater.

The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

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by: connecticutyankee @ Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 00:05:41 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

It is a lot to take in a short period of time. (0.00 / 0)

I don't think it is a free speech beef though.  No one is disputing the 1st amendment in either case.  Its an employment/assignment thing.

I think the main issues are:

1) where it showed up.  If he was just blasting off on his own dime/blog there would be no story.  He published it in a college vehicle as the word of the editoral staff which showed bad judgement.

2) the format.  The story didn't show up in a satirical or entertainment supplement to the paper.  It was on the main sheet.  Op-eds are supposed to be essays, not satire.  The reader is not supposed to guess at that.  So if you are skimming it, it looks like an up-front (as opposed to unconscious) opinion that is the official word of the editoral staff.  Stupid!

3) it sucked.  Even the conservative morning show on WTIC, the first to blast off if this was PC bullying, said something to the effect of 'There is a responsibility to put out a good product and this didn't hit any notes at all'

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by: drowsy @ Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 00:48:51 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

You are nowhere near the issue in either case... (4.00 / 1)

Neither of these issues are First Amendment issues.  The First Amendment does not protect journalists/columnists/bloggers from getting fired for writing something offensive.

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by: Gabe @ Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 01:44:26 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

God forgive me, but... (0.00 / 0)

I find myself wishing someone would treat Mr. Petrosky to a well-greased broom handle.

It will only hurt if he fights it.

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by: BranfordBoy @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 19:04:15 PM UTC

Well... (0.00 / 0)

Brooms are sometimes magical, like rape, right?

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by: Maura @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 19:13:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Bad idea bad tradecraft - behold the power of Lame! (0.00 / 0)

These kids just found out their assignments matter.  I would be asking for a lot if I were an advertiser in that paper.

I'm amazed that this failed to occur to TWO people that this was utterly negative.  I blame the editor more, since it was up to him to decide whether it went out or not.  If he had any real world experience he'd know: if you lack content, give away a free ad to generate goodwill with the space. 

I'll leave it to others to talk about the personal harm this does.  I'll say that anyone who has read a newspaper - and one would expect them to keep up with the best in their chosen profession/hobby - would have read about current affairs in Africa, where rape for the purpose of inflicting childbirth on the rival is real.

They included prison rape which I assume was put in to give us fellas something to hope for.  They should be made to read "protective pairing for punks" which is a totally clinical guide to auctioning off your ass to stay alive in prison.  It is terrifying in its matter-of-fact tone.

I'll repeat what I said in another thread: at freshman orientation everyone should be given a class that isn't so much a cultural sensitivity class as a "been done before, it sucked for everyone, you're not special if you try this" class.  Blackface parties, ill conceived satirical writing, faux slave auctions for charity, etc.  Sometimes just showing them how damned lame it is works well. 

They tried to be self-effacing and I doubt they really wanted to promote rape as a good thing, but there it is, the power of Lame.  Sometimes more powerful than Talent.  Now that they've seen this first hand, they may grow up better men for it.  Seriously. 

Now, what would top this off perfectly is if the Onion did a story on these two, with real photos.

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by: drowsy @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 19:36:01 PM UTC

Worse (0.00 / 0)

CNN is running this story now.

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by: Scarce @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 19:44:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think... (0.00 / 0)

that was just a brief break from 24-7 Anna Nicole Smith coverage, because by the time I turned it on, they were back to Anna.

[breathlessly] When we come back, we will speak to a lawyer who will tell us how her death will effect her late husband's estate!

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by: Gabe @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 19:54:36 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

CNN Headline News (0.00 / 0)

The other one. They used the same video from WTIC, which is listed as an affiliate of CNN (as is WTNH, WFSB, & WTXX).

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by: Scarce @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 19:57:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

John Petroski (4.00 / 2)

Feministe has the full text of John Petroski's op-ed, along with samples of some of his previous work. 

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by: CGG @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 20:12:48 PM UTC

John Petroski (4.00 / 2)

Wow, John Petroski's Greatest Hits are truly something to behold. 

I think my favorite is when John Petroski asserts that women have no rights over their bodies once they become pregnant:

Now, I realize that at this point, some ladies who are reading this article may very well be blowing their tops. Some may be frothing with rage, irate at the prospect of a man telling them what to do with their bodies or their lives, or, perhaps, incensed at my supposed disregard to their "right to privacy" and such.

Well, I say that when it comes to abortion, they have no such rights. A woman's right to privacy should not overrule a father's right to see his child live. A woman's claim that "it's her body" ends when another's grows within it.

Wow.  If there's a gold medal for hostility toward women, John Petroski is surely a contender.

If you read  John Petroski's op-ed on abortion, you see that he is filled with RAGE toward women because he got a woman pregnant and she chose to terminate the pregancy against his wishes.  He speaks of women "waltzing" into clinics and "brutally murdering" children on "whim".

Interestingly, he expresses that he doesn't advocate "abolishment" of abortion.  (Dipshit, the word is "abolition".)  In his thinking, "brutally murdering unborn children" is A-ok as long as the man thinks it's a good idea, like, if he can't afford the baby.  The thought process at work here is truly twisted.

Best part is when John Petroski ends his op-ed with a shout-out to "life, liberty, and justice for all".  Hail America!  All your womb are belong to us!

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by: Maura @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 21:31:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yeah, might have to alter my 'better men for it' comment (0.00 / 0)

-without therapy.  It is sad, overall.  This guy needs to work these issues out in a healthier way.  If I was against abortion, and I didn't square it with my partner up front (like getting married, in his culture), and the union produced a pregnancy, and then the pregnancy was terminated - I would need some help.  His writing and logic shows it.  There is a lot of pain there, and he's bringing it.

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by: drowsy @ Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 01:37:00 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Future Rush Limbaugh? (0.00 / 0)

And he's being educated in CT's state university system. Amazing.... Scary.... Sick... So this is what my tax dollars are paying for?

The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

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by: connecticutyankee @ Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 21:43:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

CCSU students take list of demands to Governor Rell (0.00 / 0)

Angry CCSU students take list of demands to Governor Rell

Posted Feb. 9, 2007
5:50 PM

(New Britain-WTNH) _ The students are demanding the resignations of the editor-in-chief and the opinion editor of the student newspaper, The Recorder.

The students are upset about an editorial called Rape Only Hurts If You Fight It. The editorial appeared in this week's paper.

The newspaper says the piece was intended to be satire and the people responsible for it will not step down.

http://www.wtnh.com/...

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by: Scarce @ Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 01:10:57 AM UTC

HUFFPO picked up CCSU story (0.00 / 0)

Here is the link to the story:
http://www.huffingto...

I guess he's getting his 15 minutes of shame.

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by: greenpeas @ Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 15:10:35 PM UTC

Helen Ubiñas wades in (0.00 / 0)

Apparently the writer is now concerned about the negative affect this will have on his seeking a career in journalism.

These Are Sorry Days For `Satire'/ The Courant

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by: Scarce @ Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 15:22:12 PM UTC

Digging the hole deeper (0.00 / 0)

Student Apologizes For Opinion Piece/ AP story.

"I wasn't writing this to try and hurt people though," he wrote. "I was trying to point out that people don't give a damn about anything in a paper besides something they can rally around. It looks like I succeeded, especially with our front page.

"That doesn't excuse what I did," he wrote. "I should have used a much less touchy pseudo-subject to do this with. Like animal rights or something like that."

Maybe these guys should just shut up while they're behind?

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by: Scarce @ Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 15:25:13 PM UTC

[ Parent ]