2008 Woodie Awards
Rape does hurt: A reaction to a not-so-funny satire on rape
Michelle Faber
Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: Features
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When I was an editor of my high school newspaper, I was always taught that people cannot read sarcasm easily. It was simple: according to my journalism teacher, when it comes to satirical writing, there is a level of sophistication not easily attained for young writers. It is easy to be sarcastic in front of someone's face and have them understand your meaning, but written sarcasm is a somewhat racy task for a journalist to take.
The reason I mention this is because of the recent uproar over an article published in last week's issue of the Central Connecticut University's newspaper, The Recorder. Opinion Editor John Petroski wrote an article entitled "Rape Only Hurts If You Fight It" published in the February 7th, 2007 issue of The Recorder. This article talks about rape and its "benefits" to society. Petroski talks about how rape is a "magical experience" and how it should not be looked at as a horrible crime.
The worse part of this article is when Petroski talks about "ugly women." He writes, "Take ugly women for example. If it weren't for rape, how would they ever know the joys of intercourse with a man who isn't drunk." He also talks about prisoners and how they should enjoy being raped because there is nothing better to do with their time in prison.
This article is an absolute abomination. First of all, Petroski has no right to publish something he claims as satire when in actuality, there is no purpose behind his so-called satirical piece about rape. Satire is only satire if something can be learned from it. I learned absolutely nothing from this piece, except for the fact that this kid is extremely creepy.
Second of all, who are the editors of this newspaper that let this piece be published? Don't get
me wrong, I am all for our first amendment rights and I realize that Petroski has the right to say the things he says, but this piece should not have been published. There is no reason behind this article except for the fact that Petroski was probably bored with himself and wanted to gain fifteen minutes of fame by writing something that he knew would cause controversy. Obviously this plan worked because I am so disgusted with this article that I feel the need to write about him in our newspaper. The stir that this kid caused is upsetting so many students, that there are even numerous Facebook groups against him.
The reason I mention this is because of the recent uproar over an article published in last week's issue of the Central Connecticut University's newspaper, The Recorder. Opinion Editor John Petroski wrote an article entitled "Rape Only Hurts If You Fight It" published in the February 7th, 2007 issue of The Recorder. This article talks about rape and its "benefits" to society. Petroski talks about how rape is a "magical experience" and how it should not be looked at as a horrible crime.
The worse part of this article is when Petroski talks about "ugly women." He writes, "Take ugly women for example. If it weren't for rape, how would they ever know the joys of intercourse with a man who isn't drunk." He also talks about prisoners and how they should enjoy being raped because there is nothing better to do with their time in prison.
This article is an absolute abomination. First of all, Petroski has no right to publish something he claims as satire when in actuality, there is no purpose behind his so-called satirical piece about rape. Satire is only satire if something can be learned from it. I learned absolutely nothing from this piece, except for the fact that this kid is extremely creepy.
Second of all, who are the editors of this newspaper that let this piece be published? Don't get
me wrong, I am all for our first amendment rights and I realize that Petroski has the right to say the things he says, but this piece should not have been published. There is no reason behind this article except for the fact that Petroski was probably bored with himself and wanted to gain fifteen minutes of fame by writing something that he knew would cause controversy. Obviously this plan worked because I am so disgusted with this article that I feel the need to write about him in our newspaper. The stir that this kid caused is upsetting so many students, that there are even numerous Facebook groups against him.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Chandra Niklewski
posted 2/16/07 @ 12:18 PM EST
Amazing column. You brought up very good points and your closing line was perfect. Thank you. As college journalists we need to be careful, but we should also be able to rely on editors and advisors to help us as we go. (Continued…)
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