NONE OF us who spend our free time in the basement of Newcomb Hall at The Cavalier Daily office expect the rest of the student body to fully agree with our coverage and opinions. It usually is a thankless job, and when the criticism comes in, we often take it in stride and move on. We do expect, however, the University community to reciprocate and consider what is the proper manner to respond to opinions with which they disagree. Unfortunately, some of our peers recently have failed to take this responsibility regarding columns dealing with racial issues, subjecting the opinion department to unfounded claims beyond the realm of decent criticism and discussion.
Last Friday morning, a series of brightly colored fliers appeared all over the University. These pages all carried such attempts at humor and wit as, "Pop Quiz: What day did racism die?" and the more specific, "Have an opinion about black Hoos? Then join The Cavalier Daily Opinion section. No experience necessary." Some of the fliers spoke of publishing "unsubstantiated arguments." Regrettably for whoever posted the fliers, though, is that by refusing to participate in a balanced debate with opinion columnists, they have in turn lowered their own credibility.
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The Cavalier Daily's disclaimer appears every day below the lead editorial. It states in part, "Cartoons and columns represent the views of the authors" - not the opinion section, not the opinion editors and certainly not The Cavalier Daily as a whole. Opinions expressed by columns trigger a diverse reaction throughout the paper's readership. It should come as no surprise then that the section often experiences similar incidences of differing viewpoints. As the recent columns on race prove, columnists at times possess opinions that are completely the opposite of each other. Thus, to assume that the opinion department thinks with one mind and speaks with one voice - especially on the topic of race - is unbelievably presumptuous.
Ironically, those who posted the fliers themselves venture to take advantage of the same liberties as those which they attack The Cavalier Daily for employing. That all-encompassing right, of course, is the entitlement to free speech. The paper's use of freedom of the press, however, is not the central issue here. Every week, columists stand by their aruments, placing their name and picture by what they write, and the organizers of the fliers didn't even have the decency to credit themselves.
The issue at hand, in fact, is that the opinion department has encountered a faceless critic who makes it difficult for both sides to contribute to an open forum. This ghostwriter - or more likely a group of them - took numerous cheap shots with unjustified claims directed at both The Cavalier Daily and its columnists.
Granted, seeking publication in The Cavalier Daily is not the only proper forum for response. Rather than composing a letter to the editor or making an even more sincere effort through a well-argued guest viewpoint, the authors - if they deserve that distinction - of the fliers hastily threw together the bare minimum to publicize their views. The fliers are conveniently anonymous, and surely, those who posted the pages could not have expected to achieve real progress in the racial debate without even acknowledging their identity. The only purpose the fliers ended up serving was to perpetuate hotheaded name-calling.
A common lament of those working to ease racial strife is that few truly are willing to speak about the issues. Any debate often quickly degrades into name-calling and placing of undeserved blame, and the work of the people who created the fliers proves this very point. Even worse, though, is that they skipped over any attempt to intellectually participate in an objective discussion and jumped right to the mudslinging of which they complain.
The Cavalier Daily actively contributes to the free exchange of ideas between diverse groups on Grounds, and part of that comes from columnists. The originators of the fliers, though, hinder the process of decent debate. What these people must understand is that opinion pieces are just that - they express opinions, not indisputable truths. They seek to expose issues for public debate, not tyrannically impose their own ideals on the University community.
If someone has a problem with what is printed they should say so - in part of an open forum where both sides can equally contribute. The Cavalier Daily welcomes feedback from its readers. We constantly publish letters to the editor and guest viewpoints. E-mail tags are placed at the end of opinion columns to encourage more responses to our writers. If a person is too offended by The Cavalier Daily as to find contacting columnists or the editor so unpalatable, they should then at least make the effort to openly discuss their views with others of differing opinions.
So go ahead. Challenge us. Criticize us. But don't hide behind a flimsy wall of neon paper.
(Becky Krystal is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at bkrystal@cavalierdaily.com.)
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