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