Given both the intensity and tone of the response to the Nov. 6 "Still North" comic strip by Drew Lerman '10, The Dartmouth Editorial Board would like to elucidate our rationale for printing the comic. Lerman's comic attempted to critique liberal academic revisionism through the extreme example of Nietzschean principles condoning sexual assault in a fraternity basement. Accusations that the cartoon or The Dartmouth tacitly condone rape miss the intention of the comic and misunderstand The Dartmouth's Editorial Policy.
The Dartmouth strongly and unequivocally condemns sexual assault -- to assume otherwise is absurd -- and recognizes that it is a major issue on campus. Our several Verbum Ultimum pieces on the subject indicate clearly the degree to which we recognize the seriousness of the issue. However, as an independent medium for free discourse and exchange of information, we place a strong priority on the protection of free speech.
The Dartmouth Editorial Board had major issues with Lerman's comic, and agrees with critics that it treated sexual assault in an insensitive manner. After speaking with Lerman, however, it was clear to us that the joke behind the cartoon was not about sexual assault but about the liberal academic atmosphere that leads to the reinterpretation of the ideas of certain philosophers. We recognize that some students have reacted painfully to the comic due to either their interpretation or the comic's approach toward sexual assault. As a Board, however, we decided that offensiveness does not always call for censorship; members of our Board have been personally affected by sexual assault and still stand by the decision to print the comic.
It should be clear to careful readers that "Any other column, letter or cartoon is the work of the attributed author and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Dartmouth." The comic does not fall under the category of hate speech, unlike the many other theoretical examples that students cited as possible litmus tests of The Dartmouth's editorial policy. The comic's intention was frequently misread Monday to support or promote a particularly heinous felony, which it does not. While we considered the potential of negative student reaction, the possibility of misinterpretation is no reason for censorship.
Moreover, some unfortunate falsehoods were generated in yesterday's controversy that demand clarification. Firstly, The Dartmouth had no agenda in printing this comic strip: there was no intention to ignite campus opinion or spark open debate on sexual assault. Nor was the comic removed from The Dartmouth's website -- because of a technical error, the comic was never actually uploaded. The online version of our website had been corrected by Monday evening to reflect the print version.
We sincerely regret the pain felt by many readers in response to this comic strip, but we hope students, administrators and faculty can rationally address the issues relating to sexual assault and its prevention. Reasoned and calm debate should determine whether concern for the Dartmouth community should trump a reasonable defense of free speech.
