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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1981)
opinion_ Was Immorald funny? You tell us Wit, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. And the hubbub surrounding this year’s Immorald only proves this true. Every year on April Fool’s Day the Emerald news staff contributes its most outrageous — and hopefully tasteful — satire. The intent of the issue is to satirize the campus community and our selves. Like every year, we’ve had both negative and positive response. But unlike previous years, this issue of the Immorald has sparked several serious problems. First, we’ve been accused of exercising poor taste in running a fabricated article about district attorney Pat Horton and football coach Rich Brooks. The article said Horton was named University president and promised to "shoot Brooks’’ Horton has asked for an apology. The editor ial staff of the Emerald admits in hindsight the article may have been in poor taste. However, since no one can adequately define “good taste” or “poor taste” and because the article obviously was intended to be satirical, we feel we cannot apologize for what we wrote. We do wish to apologize for the vulgarity printed on the top right corner of the regular issue of the Emerald. The staff never intended to allow the contents of the annual Immorald to spill onto the Emerald’s news pages, and we feel we owe our readership an apology for the lack of jud gement. Thirdly, and most seriously, is the fact that a group or groups with anti-lmmorald sentiment is threatening some of our advertisers because of the Immorald. Last year another group stole the Immorald because it contained sexist ads. This year it seems the Immorald’s detractors have found a more subtle, yet effective means of expressing their disfavor. We seriously doubt the validity of the threats to our advertisers. Obviously we are the target of such threats, not our advertisers. Our detractors probably are using the power of advertising (our means of support) to dictate what sort of new spaper the annual Immorald should be. What should the Immorald be? It should be the collective, uncensored wit of student jour nalists. That definition is purposely vague, because not everyone at the Emerald can agree what the Immorald should be. In the top right corner of Page 3 in today’s newspaper is the collected opinion of some members of the Emerald’s advertising, business and production staffs. Their privilege to disagree with the contents of the Immorald is every bit as legitimate as our privilege to print it. Additionally, your opinion is just as important. We want to hear what you liked, what you disliked and what you think we can do to make next year’s Immorald better. vours Olum responds It was announced in your April Fool's issue that you expected a large number of angry letters in response to it. This is one of them, although “anger" hardly does justice to all of the things I feel. I suppose that most people who re spond will comment on the unbelievably bad taste of the articles, and they will surely be right. Taste such as this can only be described as infantile. But I am troubled by something in addition. One of our most important purposes in the University is to teach our students to express themselves with in telligence and with style in writing and in speech. I can only wonder what on earth the members of the Emerald's staff have been doing with their time here. I sought in vain in the paper for any remotely redeeming quality of style or cleverness or humor. In this — and indeed in a much-discussed recent editorial — it seems clear that your writers command no expressive language with which to indicate strong feeling, commitment, sarcasm, humor, satire, or even a simple political position, except by the use of “dirty" words and the glorification of violence. My principal feeling is not one of anger or disgust, although certainly they are both there. It is mostly one of shame, for I have to try to speak for a University of quality and standards after having just read the April Fool's issue of the campus newspaper — an issue written through out at the level of a six-year-old who has only just discovered bathroom words and the language of sex and who feels enormously clever by repeating them all several times. Surely, we deserve better than this. Paul Olum Acting President Not humorous The four-letter ‘humor’ of the April Fool sheet above addressed did not advance the dignity or the self-con fidence one whit of this University, its students, teachers, and administrators; or its respect in the eyes of the Oregon community — at a time when these vir tues impinge with some crucial impor tance! Douglas Straton, Head Department of Religous Studies Pushed button You're right, ODE staff! Your Immorald was not humorous, and my button was pushed The Immorald just published is most recent in a ong line of examples of disgustingly poor journalism exhibited by the ODE staff Everyone of you should flunk! Your attempts tc "provoke humor” by the redundant us i of obscenities fail badly. Anyone can i ;sue a stream of such filth from the tongue or the typewriter — this takes no creativity. Good clean humor that can be eppreciated by both the morally upright aid the morally cor rupted alike is what tikes creativity, and obviously this is a vinue which none of you possesses. And what’s eating /ou? As at least quasi-professional journalists, you should be able to accept any criticism directed at you from Emerald readers without responding in SLch an irrational and immature manner It seems as though the entire ODE staff is frustrated because ODE readers rightfully accuse it of journalistic stench, but rather than making any attempts to clean up its act, the staff has resorted to releasing its frustrations in a grand, obscene Immor ald. It’s time to grow up and give students what they’re paying for: the professional, unbiased journalism that one expects from student journalists who are about ready to enter the real world. Obviously, the ODE staff is not ready for the real world; if I was a newspaper editor, I wouldn’t hire one of you after seeing your latest production — you’ve got nothing to be proud of. The ODE has now moved into first place on my list as the most absurd waste of IFC funding. P S. I’m not a Greek, I'm not on athletic scholarship, and I’m not a political ac tivist, but I’m still inflamed. John Brauer Sophomore, general science Profanity effective If the album sales and popularity of Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and other comedians are any in dication, one would have to conclude that profanity is an effective and accept ed method of conveying humorous ideas and situations. This, however, runs con trary to Pat Horton’s remarks in Thurs day’s Register Guard in which he says, "Surely the Emerald staff has the intel lectual capabilities of amusing its readers without resorting to the tactic of printing an abundance of four-letter words....’’ But as we all know, profanity is often the most effective way to point out absurd situations, such as how a moron like Horton should ever be in public office. Horton provides further testimony to his stupidity in saying "We can all ap preciate college humor as well as satire directed at public officials — but certainly not when it talks about killing people.” Obviously, Horton isn’t familiar with Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal wherein the author proposes that Irish children be rounded up and killed for their nutritional value. The work stands today as a masterpiece in satire. In short, Pat Horton is out of line in asking for an apology from the Emerald. The satire was hard hitting, accurate and fun. The only fault I can find with it is that it didn't do more to portray Mr. Horton as the mental midget and fascist that he is. Paul Bleeg Senior, accounting Liked Immorald While I was reading last year’s femin istic Immorald, I was laughing my head off. But this year’s issue was better. Funnier. Subtle. Humor is humor. If anyone tried to tell me how to be funny, I’d say “Fuck off,” too. If someone were to joke about my murdered brother or my mother or feminists (and their batteries) or what ever, and if “comedy” were there, then I would, and will, laugh! Everyone who appreciates humor and read this year’s Immorald certainly received his fucking break, and the only people who don’t deserve any kind of break are those responsible for last year’s thefts. Tim Jaques Junior, English
