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[jough]

Copies of said magazine are available for the price of postage.

[Nabubrush]

Luckily, I had already graduated by the time the issue came to print - but there was a meeting held (which I did not attend) where the President of the college suggested that they repeal my diploma (her request was denied).

Of course, there was also the problem of a very vulgar play of mine that was published in the same issue.

I can't figure out what is more fucked here. Juts the idea that the President of the college felt that it was appropriate to revoke someone's diploma for this sort of "transgression" is sort of horrifying. I guess I understand that a school that might not be really behind the free exchange of ideas might feel justified in curbing the free speech of those putting out such a magazine/newspaper, but it seems like revocation of one's diploma is a little over the top. What was she thinking, that all your credits would be eliminated, so you'dhave to start over? How would this sort of thing work? She sounds truly goofy, and also dangerous.

[jough]

She had a lot of strange ideas that bordered on Stalinism, and her employment was repealed the following year.

I'd had dinner with her earlier in the semester - I was a very good student (I was better at school than I am at real life) and she had this "Dinner with the President" thing going once a month for students from each department who were recommended by the Dept. chair.

Whacky lady. I believe she's the head of another university now.

[andalucia]

I find this pretty troublesome (to get back on topic due to my late arrival), because I had a hard-core feminist upbringing, and am probably one of the closest people to the archetypal "humourless feminist" in the small town where I live.  
But of course, I'm also extremely pro-Achewood, although I do, I admit, sometimes find it offensive.  But I've been reading the strip a long time, and any time it makes me feel uncomfortable I have the memories of many other brilliant strips to fall back on, whereas these people are presumably basing their opinions on a lack of context.

</profound ambivalence>

[jay-ell]

Whacky lady. I believe she's the head of another university now.

Would that "other university" happen to be NC State?  Because if you went to school under Marye Anne Fox, you have my deepest and heartfelt sympathy.

[andalucia]

Furthermore, is that last guy's name really Zark?

[CortJstr]

I think one of these days I might actually find something offensive.

But I doubt it.

[Nabubrush]

I was thinking about "cunt pills" today, and it struck me that the only reason I didn't feel it was offensive is because Onstad wrote it. If one of the idiots here at work had just said it out loud, I would have come unglued.

Note: this is just my opinion.

[CortJstr]

I was thinking about "cunt pills" today, and it struck me that the only reason I didn't feel it was offensive is because Onstad wrote it. If one of the idiots here at work had just said it out loud, I would have come unglued.

Note: this is just my opinion.

My opinion of it would probably be different if it weren't for Beef's reactions and reluctance.

[AugustWest]

Why is it so difficult to understand that if you put offensive words in an unsympathetic character's mouth it tends to discourage the use of said words?  I call this the Bunker principle.

[andalucia]

Why is it so difficult to understand that if you put offensive words in an unsympathetic character's mouth it tends to discourage the use of said words?  I call this the Bunker principle.

Without the intention of being aggressive, it's not really a matter of understanding.  I consider these people likely to be quite intelligent and to have a reasonable position-- I don't generally consider "It was just a joke" to be a very compelling comeback to being called on an offensive comment.
Obviously I've developed praeternatural sensitivity to this sort of thing, but I just feel obliged to play devil's advocate here.

[AugustWest]

Where did I say "It's just a joke"? Looking back, maybe I did in my first post.

My point is, if you put words like this in an oagiraffe character's mouth isn't the message that only oafs speak these words?

How can we can convey a negative message about a word without speaking it?

I think you have to look at the use of offensive words in their context.  The message of the "cunt pills" strip isn't that females are all bitches and inferior, it's that Todd is obnoxious and singularly unsuitable to be vice-president (except possibly on a Republican ticket.)  That strip isn't about women, it's about Todd.

I have a problem with the idea that some words should be absolutely forbidden in any context, especially when used in a community that is supposedly composed of intelligent, sophisticated people who are theoretically capable of understanding subtle humor.

No agression taken and none meant.  Just a discussion.

[andalucia]

I think you have to look at the use of offensive words in their context.  The message of the "cunt pills" strip isn't that females are all bitches and inferior, it's that Todd is obnoxious and singularly unsuitable to be vice-president (except possibly on a Republican ticket.)  That strip isn't about women, it's about Todd.

The importance of context was something I was trying to establish in my ambivalent first post.  And I do definitely agree with much of what you said.  The position I took in this discussion was mostly based upon the fact that the debate seemed to have telescoped to a more general indictment of feminism that I found kinda disconcerting.

[jough]

If Todd wasn't speaking the TRUTH, I doubt anyone would have been offended.

I mean, sometimes bitches DO need to take their cunt pills.  It's just a fact of life.

But college isn't about life.  It's about learning how to fit in and not offend anyone.  

Colleges say WE'LL MAKE A HAPPY LITTLE COG OUT OF YOU YET

[CortJstr]

I've been a PR person. My job was to scour the media for anything we could react to then immediatly draft a letter to the editor. We didn't go back and read previous pieces by the author, we just reacted immediately.

These people saw one strip with no context and consciously decided to avoid learning the context because it would slow down writing their response. Had they gone back even one strip or gone forward to the next new one (the following day was a repeat) they would see how Todd was being portrayed and that he was written as a jackass who offends women's groups.

But if you wait then the issue becomes old and newspapers won't care any more. So rule #1 of PR is react NOW. And once you've reacted then you can look at context. Of course if you find from the context you were wrong you can't admit it, you just start planning how to defend your original statement even though you don't believe it any more.

And I agree with Carlin, you can joke about anything. There's nothing wrong with jokes about cunt pills or rape as long as that shit's funny.