Article reflects poor taste

We know the Amusement Editor Anna Turner's "Sidewalk etiquette 101" article in the Sept. 21 edition of The Miami Student is meant to be funny. Some humor offends, but it is not necessarily the case that all humor that offends is automatically unethical. Satire, for example, often pokes fun at the foibles and hypocrisies of those in power, as is the case with the canonical example of satire, Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, which in a tongue-in-cheek manner suggested the British Empire solve the problem of poverty in Ireland (then under British colonial rule) by selling and eating Irish babies. Certainly this humor offended many English people, but the offense was made deliberately for an important ethical and political point about the British apathy and complacency about the poverty caused by British colonial policy.

We mention this because when The Miami Student prints something blatantly offensive and receives criticism, "It was just satire" is often proffered as a response (and, we think, excuse) for whatever ill-conceived joke directed at racial minorities, gay people, women, and — in the latest instance — pregnant women, the paper happens to print that week. Enough is enough. Surely you are all clever enough to come up with satirical prose that doesn't resort to the tired old formulas of racism, sexism or homophobia in order to fill column inches. Yes, we do appreciate the first amendment, and you have the right to a free press. You could print potty humor of the second-grader variety, or knock-knock jokes that are the favorites of toddlers, but presumable you choose not to print them because they are not appropriate for your audience. That is, you do already exercise some judgment about the material you print. This begs the question … what possible reason could you have to print such derogatory comments about pregnant women in your latest issue? The "satire" excuse doesn't cut it, because the presence of pregnant women on campus is hardly hegemonic. What political or ethical message are you truing to further with your critique? To refer to pregnant women as "bloated sex maniacs" is simply in bad taste. All of us are here on this earth because someone was pregnant with us at some time. Keeping that in mind, it behooves us all to make space for those who are bearing he next generation. If you are incapable of offering pregnant women respect, at least refrain from going out of your way — as Anna Turner did — to disrespect them for no conceivable purpose. Such poor taste reflects badly on The Miami Student in particular, and on the campus in general. Surely we can do better than that at Miami University.

 

Madelyn Detloff, Director, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program

detlofmm@muohio.edu

 

Rene McKinstry

mckinsdr@muohio.edu

 

Cathie F. Isaacs

shermacf@muohio.edu

 

Kelly Quinn

quinnk@muohio.edu

 

Sunny Parks

Parks4@muohio.edu

 

Elizabeth Kelly Rapalee

rapaleek@muohio.edu

 

Katie Bailey

Baileyk5@muohio.edu

 

Lisa McLaughlin

mclauglm@muohio.edu

 

Kate Kuvalanka

kuvalaka@muohio.edu

 

Darcy Donahue

donahud@muohio.edu

 

Yihong Pan

pany@muohio.edu

 

Judith Zinsser

zinssejp@muohio.edu

 

Katie Johnson

johnso33@muohio.edu

 

Ann Fuehrer

fuehrea@muohio.edu

 

Paula Gandara

gandarp@muohio.edu

 

Sheila Croucher

crouchsl@muohio.edu

 

Vitaly Chernetsky

chernev@muohio.edu

 

Gillian Oakenfull

oakenfg@muohio.edu

 

C. Lee Harrington

harrincl@muohio.edu

 

Bonnie M. Nickles

nicklebm@muohio.edu

 

Yu-Fang Cho

choy@muohio.edu

 

Mathew Hall

hallmg@muohio.edu

 

Kathy McMahon-Klosterman

mcmahok@muohio.edu

 

Delene Weidner

weidnedl@muohio.edu

 

Caroline Renfro

renfroca@muohio.edu

 

Dorothy Falke

falkeda@muohio.edu

 

Gaile Pohlhaus

pohlhag@muohio.edu

 

Roxanne Ornelas

ornelart@muohio.edu

 

Amy Lorenz

griffiae@muohio.edu

 

Erin Heyboer

heyboeem@muohio.edu

 

Mary Jean Corbett

corbetmj@muohio.edu

 

Kathleen Knight Abowitz

knightk2@muohio.edu

 

Renate Seiweki

No e-mail available

 

Sara Friedburg

friedbsl@muohio.edu

 

Andrea Myers

myersar3@muohio.edu

 

Tamika Turner

turnertv@muohio.edu

 

Caitlyn Byers

byerscn@muohio.edu

 

Taylor Sloyback

slaybatd@muohio.edu

 

Ebony Sheckles

shecklem@muohio.edu

 

Peri Gleespen

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Derrick Luu

luudr@muohio.edu

 

Becca Hartz

hartzrl@muohio.edu

 

Sylvia Luu

luus2@muohio.edu

 

Sharon Luu

luus@muohio.edu

 

Tamaliyapo Mphande

mphandt@muohio.edu

 

Augusta Rawlins-Rader

rawlinam@muohio.edu

 

Brittany Norman

normanb2@muohio.edu

 

Lauren Shelar

shelarle@muohio.edu

 

Courtney Morris

morris43@muohio.edu

 

Carly Swindell

swindec2@muohio.edu

 

newtoncm@muohio.edu

 

Molly Heidemann

mheidemann@muohio.edu

 

Jane Goettsch

goettsjm@muohio.edu

 

Fabienne Bohon

bohonf@muohio.edu

 

Richelle Frabotta

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Rachel Phaup

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Jamie Viars

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Julin Everett

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Melissa Auringer

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Rhonda Jackson

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Kimberly Hamlin

hamlinka@muohio.edu

 

Jeannie Ducher

ducherj@muohio.edu

 

Timothy Staples

staplet@muohio.edu

 

Katie Mey

 

Moira Casey

caseyme@muohio.edu

 

Susan Morgan

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Theresa Kulbaga

kulbagta@muohio.edu

 

Cynthia Lewiecki-Wilson

lewiecc@muohio.edu

 

Cheryl Johnson

johnsocl@muohio.edu

 

Whitney Womack Smith

womackwa@muohio.edu

 

Katherine Kickel

kickelke@muohio.edu

 

Katherine Durack

durackk@muohio.edu

 

Lynn Hall

 

Laura Mandell

mandellc@muohio.edu

 

Alysia Fiscter

fischea@muohio.edu

 

Jean M. Lynch

lynchjm@muohio.edu

 

Adrian Gaskins

gaskinat@muohio.edu

 

Megan Peters

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Candice Childs

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Zyanya Torres

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Kim Haverkos

haverkka@muohio.edu

 

Natasha Allen

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Anne Bilancini

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