I am deeply troubled by Drew Lerman '10's comic, "The Still North." The content of the comic strip is incredibly offensive, but there are really two issues at hand here: the content of the comic, which I hold Mr. Lerman responsible for, and The Dartmouth Editorial Board's decision to run this comic.
The Dartmouth makes very clear that, "Any cartoon is the work of the attributed author and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Dartmouth." The Dartmouth also strives to create an "open forum for dialogue."
I understand that The Dartmouth receives far more material each day than can ever be printed. The editors have the massive job of sorting through this material and selecting which pieces will be printed -- a task that comes with tremendous responsibility, because, like it or not, this selection process defines the dialogue and widely circulates the opinions, language, and statements presented.
Whether Mr. Lerman is making a comment on sexual assault, Nietzsche, "liberal academic revisionism," or the Greek system, I welcome his opinion in The Dartmouth. But Mr. Lerman's piece is not an op-ed. It is not a guest column. It is a "comic," which I interpret as having the purpose of generating humor and containing an element of comedy -- serving a very different purpose from a political cartoon, op-ed, or guest column.
It is also my understanding that Mr. Lerman holds a contract with The Dartmouth. The presence of this comic, whether The Dartmouth wishes to claim it, or entirely wash its hands of all responsibility and conscience, represents the publication, a decision by its editors and the work of a contracted comic artist.
The Dartmouth, and the Editorial Board, failed to demonstrate the kind of integrity I would expect from a publication that strives to be "the perfect college daily," when the decision was made to run this comic.
Where does The Dartmouth draw the line? Would a picture of a black student being lynched from Baker Tower make it into the comics? How about a group of students from Hillel being marched off to a gas chamber under a giant swastika? What about a student molesting a DREAM kid? Somehow, I suspect these wouldn't make the cut regardless of the dialogue they might generate. Along these lines, I don't understand how I can open the "comic" section and see a woman, and sexual assault portrayed this way.
I don't want to see the works of activism, the forums and progress, The dozens of assaults that occur each year on this campus -- the pain, marginalization, and objectification -- made light of in a comic strip.
There's no humor in it and I don't understand how the Editorial Board reached the conclusion that "The Still North" merited a piece of the limited space that exists in each issue of The Dartmouth, particularly under "Comics."
Women (and men) on this campus live that comic strip -- not for a moment, or an hour, or a night, but for the rest of their lives.
On The Dartmouth's website, readers are encouraged to submit feedback: "tell us what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong."
The Dartmouth, its Editorial Board and this comic author, are dead wrong. I hope that The Dartmouth has the integrity to provide its readers with some insight into how this comic made it into Monday's issue.
