Not the kind of clip you want in your portfolio

Anything can be funny. If it makes you laugh, it's funny. It if offends someone, it offends.

It's all context and intent.

The story should have been in column form on the editorial page but those acting like it's the worst thing ever done are off base. Where are these same people as rapes, murders, war escalate. that isn't enough to move them to action but the written word - a bad satire - is worth firing - teaching lessons - the end of free speech?

Please, there are real problems that are worth the out-rage. This is just grandstanding about a nothing student paper that took a chance. Hell, the writer probably will get a book deal.

Permanent expulsion? really? But, what about people that commit actual crimes?

 

His satire fell on "deaf ears"? Maybe because it wasn't funny asshole!

He and any editors who allowed something like that to get published should be fired. Does he have the right to write, sure, but in the real world that kinda stuff wouldn't make it past the idea stage before somebody knifed it.

And the kid best hope he never runs into me in a dark alley.

 

Naah. Don't have the heart to do it.

 

That's just awful.
I don't know if the students deserve to be expelled, but that is awful.
Bad choice by the Courant to use the mother as an anonymous source at the end of the story, also.

 

Department of Redundancy Department

 

How does Coulter get away with similar ridiculousness compared to this kid ?

 

this has to be a joke. This can't be real.

 

I couldn't believe the shit I was reading. I can't believe no action was taken immediately.

 

I love the irony that people are threatening violence against a college kid who made, in your opinion, a bad choice.

 

Here's to anyone who wants to read the original full-text:

"Rape Only Hurts If You Fight It"

Most people today would claim that rape is a terrible crime almost akin to murder, but I strongly disagree. Far from a vile act, rape is a magical experience that benifits society as a whole. I realize many of you will disagree with this thesis, but lend me your ears and I'm sure I'll sway you towards a darkened alley.

If it weren't for rape, Western Civilization might not exist as we know it today. When the Romans were faced with a disproportionate ratio of women to men in the early kingdom, they had to do something, lest their flidgling society die for lack of sons. To solvetheir little dilemma, they did what any reasonable man would do: they threw a festival for their little dilemma, they threw a festival for their Sabine neighbors, and then stole and raped their women. It's quite logical; in fact I don't understand why the settlers at Plymoth didn't do the same to the local Indians--it certainly would have saved on shipping costs.

Obviously, in the case of the Rape of the Sabines, rape was a tremendous help to society. The Sabine women, for their part, didn't seem to mind so much, as they threw themselves between their brutish old Sabine husbands and their charming new Roman ones to prevent bloodshed when the Sabine men came to relaim their wives. Yet even when society was totally against a rape, the raunchy act has benifited society too. Where would the Romans be, after all, if it weren't for the Rape of the Lucretia infuriating the people to the point of overthrowing their last king, Lucius Tarpuinius Superbus? If it weren't for that event, the world might have never had the Roman Republic for a pristine example of a flawless government.

Rapes glorious advantages are not, however, exclusively found from 2,000 year old examples. In actuality rape advantages can very much be seen today. Take ugly women for example. If it wern't for rape, how would they ever know the joys of intercourse with a man who isn't drunk. In a society as plastic-conscious as our own we are really to believe that some man would ever sleep with a girl resembling a wildebeest if he didn't have a few schnapps in him? Of course he wouldn't--atleast no self-respecting man would--but there in lies the beauty of rape. No self respecting man would rape in the first palce, so ugly women are guarenteed a romp with not only a sober man, but a bad boy too; and we all know how much ladies like the bad boy.

Ugly women are not, however, the only people who benifit from rape--prisoners enjoy as many perks too. What, after all, could be possibly be more boring than spending years of your life confined to some tiny cell 23 hours a day? Then answer, of course, is spending years of your life confined to some tiny cell 23 hours a day and never getting some hot action. With rape, prisoners never have to worry about that. Instead, they merely need worry about treating their rapist with enough love and respect to earn a quick reach-around.

But if there is one bread and butter reason for why rape should not only be accepted, but even endorsed, it is because our news editors are in dire need of interesting stories for our front page. Bookstore stories? Fossils? One dollar coins? Please. Now, some saucy circle-jerk rape action? Yeah, that's the ticket.

 

And here's the president's response, while I'm at it, for anyone interested:

It goes without saying that John Petroski, the Opinion Editor of The Recorder, has the freedom of speech to offer his opinions--satirical, or not. Many times in the past I have been called upon to defend First Amendment principles. But what Mr. Petroski wrote in the February 7 issue of “The Recorder" deserves to be roundly condemned as deeply offensive and hurtful. It is a clear violation of responsible journalism and the community standards of this institution, where it is inarguable that rape is not a fit topic for humor or satire, particularly in a campus newspaper largely supported by student fees and intended for the readership of the CCSU community. Rape is a profound violation of body and spirit, and to make light of this, even in satire, is abhorrent.

A free press is a fundamental right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and the courts have continuously upheld the freedom of college newspapers to publish articles without censorship by faculty advisors. I believe that student-run newspapers offer an extraordinary journalistic laboratory and provide an important educational opportunity for students, and I enjoin the faculty and administrators who are working with our student editors to convey the seriousness of this matter and the poor judgment that was exercised in their decision to print such a tasteless and offensive article. We will in the near future gather a group composed of students and faculty to examine the editorial process and to take positive steps to educate students about the damage such blatantly misogynistic and homophobic content causes. While we always want to protect journalistic integrity and First Amendment principles, we need to be sure that students understand that such hateful speech is not protected and simply is not worthy, on any ground, of publication.

Dr. Jack Miller,

President

 

Does this paper have an advisor? I know ours did in college and she read over the entire thing before we were allowed to ship it off. I can't see a faculty advisor reading this and saying, "great job kid."
It also explains why he wasn't disciplined, because if it's a student-run newspaper that allowed this to happen in the first place, why bother disciplining him.