When directly attacking someone, you should not do so behind a cloak of anonymity. In the March 28 issue of The Hustler, an anonymous ranter asked why I had not graduated yet and called my columns “ridiculous, stupid and intellectually uninspiring.” Ouch, that hurts. To be called “most controversial columnist” my sophomore year and now demoted to this is incredibly demoralizing. I think I’ll quit now!
Actually, no dice. Unlike the ranter, I put my name and opinions out there for the entire world to see and scrutinize, and, like it or not, I do discuss relevant issues. Almost all of my columns deal with issues that should concern mature and intelligent college students who are planning to eventually wake up and realize they are in fact adults living in a real world with real problems. My friends — conservative or liberal — are intelligent people who can discuss these issues without resorting to anonymous attacks designed to impugn the character of others.
I do not apologize for the fact that I have no interest in sharing any drunken stories, how neat my trip to the hairdresser was or why I think popping your collar is really not such a bad thing. There are other columnists who write about these things. If you enjoy their articles more than you enjoy mine because the above ramblings appeal to you on a psychological level, good for you. I’m glad you consider those issues to be more important than the war in Iraq, problems with Iran, our ally Israel, our political climate and a host of other serious issues. However, if you enjoy reading my articles, either because you agree with me or simply because you appreciate the content, I give credit to you for living up to the admission letter you earned in the spring of your senior year of high school.
Personally, I want to know I graduated from a top-notch university where the students were more concerned with their academics, their intelligence and their future than what clothing they were wearing or how much fun they had on the weekend (and I am graduating in May, by the way). The social aspects of college are not to be neglected, but The Hustler should be where we display our quality as a university. When reading The Harvard Crimson, I am constantly amazed at the quality and content of the writing by students there, ranging from topics on economics, public policy, the environment and free speech. Maybe I am naive, but I think that we are just as good as they are, and we should strive to achieve that kind of quality. I credit this semester’s Hustler editorial board for usually writing excellent editorials on important issues, and I hope the quality in that area will be maintained.
Maybe I am wrong, though. Perhaps Vanderbilt will continue to hold a reputation as a Southern party school just squeaking into the top 20 because it has a lot of money. Maybe we’ll all just sit around and complain about the College Halls system, expensive tuition and oppressive hours of the new Starbucks. Although I know they have, if my four years of constant efforts here have not at least sparked discussion — even if you haven’t agreed with one issue I’ve raised — I give up. Let us turn The Hustler’s opinion section into a variety page reminiscent of “American Idol,” where the Sanjayas of the university hold a platform from which they may discuss their spectacular drunken weekends and other irrelevant concerns.
But don’t come to me crying when you are drafted to fight in Iran, another terrorist attack occurs on U.S. soil or our economy falls into recession, and you have not given serious thought to either side of the debate on any of these issues. I’ll be in the real world (okay, law school) dealing with serious people.
Michael Wilt is a senior in the College of Arts and Science.
