Let's Talk What's Appropriate.

"Let's talk sex, hugs and handjobs"

This is the title of an article I recently read in The Daily Collegian. 

As I read the article, it became evident that all the author is trying to communicate is how much she likes sex and how much we should like it too.

Under the First Amendment, we have the right to free speech and the freedom of press so this author is well within her legal rights to publish the article. However, I believe she is exercising poor judgement and bad taste in not only her choice of topic but also how she presents what she wants to say. The article is poorly written and shows nothing of value to her character or skills as a writer. Personally, I would not have published the article. 

The right to free speech allows us to express our opinions on all aspects of our society and in this case, on proper decorum and behavior. Instead of lowering ourselves to the least common denominator, we should be continuously seeking to develop and create a higher standard for ourselves through our ability to debate and discuss the issues of today. 

The article is not only a poor example of a college newspaper in terms of writing ability but also a direct indictment of our society and our constant focus on sensual issues and images. Just because we have the right to say anything we please does not mean that we should lower ourselves and our speech to such a level that all we say does nothing more than titillate pubescent boys. 

Discretion is paramount when deciding what to say and when to say it. Everyone has opinions and the forum to voice them. But we need to cultivate a sense of social awareness around cultural norms to know what is appropriate and when. It's like my parents always tell me, "Just because you can say something stupid, doesn't mean you should". 

Competition

Competition can be fierce, especially in American culture where everyone wants to be number one. Auditions can sometimes be the most intense and stressful environments as people fake friendliness to size up their opponents and make sure they're still the best.

I recently went to a trumpet audition where I was auditioning with other trumpet players. It was set up so that there were four audition rooms, one for scales, one for site-reading, and two for etudes.

When one player went into a room, everyone would quiet down and listen for their mistakes, making comments to each other about what they're messing up. But when the person came out of the audition, everyone would smile, congratulate them, and comment on how wonderful they sounded.

The pressure from my peers to do well was exhausting because it was so poorly veiled. I felt like I couldn't count on any one of them for support because they were only looking out for themselves to do well. This type of competition to be the best can be applied to so many circumstances - applying for college, a job, anything.

But why do we want to bring our competitors down so much? Why do we focus on their flaws? It doesn't make ours any better. Instead of bringing down our competitors shouldn't we first focus on our own performance?

Honesty vs. Pretty Pictures

In class, we've talked about how stories can vary based on who is telling them and what they choose to include - or take out - to shape their story. A few weekends ago, I visited Tufts University and I fell in love with the campus. It was beautiful and all the students seemed to be having the best of times...but who's story of the school was I buying into?

The tour guide didn't have one bad thing to say about Tufts. Not a coincidence. Any university wants prospective students to be interested in their school and to apply. It would seem counter-intuitive to tell visiting students all the bad things about the school. So, the school only shows the best and most appealing parts of the campus to visitors.

This reminds me of a story a friend of mine once told of her uncle who sold used cars. In the newspaper ads he would post, he would write things like "Please get this piece of crap out of my garage. The breaks squeak...". Apparently, within days people would come up to his house to buy the car because they knew what they were getting into and, for whatever reason, they wanted that piece-of-crap car.

So, I wonder which strategy is best when trying to sell a story. Is it better to be completely crystal-clear honest, like the car guy? Or is it better to paint a picture of what you think the consumer wants to see, as most universities do when they cater to visiting students and try to show them the "perfect school"?