Sex, Solicitation and Sororities
The Dartmouth's Oct. 20 news article, "On pro bono basis, local teaches the art of oral sex," engenders several possible interpretive frameworks. On one hand, a reader can approach the article as a triumph of discursive community: At Dartmouth, we not only instruct in the classics, but every woman on campus has access to "two-hour tutorials on the art of performing fellatio." I'll just slip the mention of this into one of my tours tomorrow morning, and do a response poll on prospective students and parents. Conceivably, one might applaud such liberation and herald a shattered silence of bedroom practices, contributing to a positivist approach to sexual relationships on campus. Alternatively, the article could be dismissed without much consideration as an idiosyncratic campus presence at the beneficence of a colorful local character. Brenda Griffin's "community service" may be intriguingly newsworthy not only for the informal public context that shapes her discipline, but also the pragmatic approach that the employee of Stinson's Village Store on Allen Street brings to her forums. I fear however, that the function of the article's newsworthiness imparts a much different lasting message: it resonates an image of sexual solicitation.