TODAY IS Valentine's Day. It's also my wife's birthday. So what kind of fool am I since I am on an airplane on my way to Cleveland? It might not be the smartest move in the world of romance, but I'm hoping my wife will forgive me as I surprised her a year ago with a string quartet that played two love songs in front of her co-workers. The women loved me, but I "pissed off" the men who claimed I was making it difficult on them by setting the love bar too high.
But my thoughtfulness, or stupidity, in matters of love, has nothing to do with today's moderated rant, which is, in part about the word "piss" and its variations.
Graduate student Kevin Welch wrote me last week asking about standards for letters to the editor in The Cavalier Daily. He asked: "What constitutes substance of a letter that is inappropriate to print?"
He referenced a letter to the editor written by Christopher Menvell Williams who used the term "pissing contest." Welch wondered about communication between the newspaper and contributors concerning the use of words that do or don't "fit the decorum expected of the paper."
The letter in question was making a point the author believed important: that a Cavalier Daily opinion columnist, in writing about diversity, was not inclusive.
"What we need to do to raise awareness is not engage in a pissing contest of who is the bigger victim, but rather find a unity of purpose in either expanding the curriculum, increasing funding support, or whatever it may be," Williams wrote.
There is wisdom in unity of purpose when it comes to matters of diversity and fairness, but that is another topic.
Today's question remains: Was it wise to use the words "pissing contest?" The words are defined by dictionary.com as "a noun, slang. Vulgar. A contentious argument; confrontation."
Journalistic writing is generally regarded as formal writing, in which vulgar slang, in most cases, should be avoided. In general, I don't use it, but I did in my lead to illustrate where this column was heading.
Should such words used by contributors be edited? In most cases no.First, they don't rise to the level of offensiveness of "fighting words" or "obscenity"
Read More
WILLIAMS: Donald Trump will be a threat to student loan forgiveness
By Ryan Williams | 5 hours agoTo be sure, this is not a problem of the University’s making. Nevertheless, understanding the uncertainty of financial accessibility in education, the University must step up to the plate.
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 5 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 6 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
