To the Editor:
Mr. Ballou's editorial ("Tag, We're 'It'," Jan. 29) was pointless. He claims to have written about the increase in admissions applications to Dartmouth because "I have to write about something or other, and sorority rush inspires me even less." Mr. Ballou is a regular columnist for The Dartmouth, a responsibility he values "for the most part... as an opportunity to promote hate and dissent among the Dartmouth undergraduate population."
Mr. Ballou's sarcastic tone cannot change the fact that he is failing in his role as an editorialist. It is not valid to volunteer to write in a public forum and then use one's allotted space to complain about the burdens of doing so. Nor is it clear who would want to read an editorial that does little but mock the idea of editorializing. Finally, to suggest that there are no "inspiring" subjects of debate left in the world, although ostensibly humorous, is in some way an act of rudeness -- not just to "sorority rush," but to the world itself, which is more interesting than Mr. Ballou makes it seem.
Unfortunately, flip and content-free editorials such as Mr. Ballou's are a regular feature of The Dartmouth's opinion pages. Many student editorials are packed full of snide jokes and affectionate references to the minutiae of Dartmouth's undergraduate culture, but fail to present opinions, let alone articulate coherent arguments. Editorials should convey ideas, not attitudes. The Dartmouth should prioritize columns -- and columnists -- that meet this criterion.
