Letter to the Editor
|
Michael Westfort
MSOIT graduate student |
|---|
Dear Editors,
The February 14 column "The Little Things" in Tech News is an example of irresponsible, thoughtless, and immature journalism. The article demeans the women of WPI with its commentary about sex on campus: "Sex: About 90% of women need to feel loved and cared for, and need to have a firm foundation in their relationship before they will even consider sex. Being at W.P.I., you will want to go after the other 10%, and most of them can put their legs behind there (sic) head (sic)." The article continues, "But a word of warning…get a friends (sic) opinion first, because she may be the hottest thing on two legs, but when you sober up, I hope for your sake she has only two legs."
Aside from the careless misspelling and grammatical errors (does Tech News have a copyeditor?), writing like this is an affront to the intelligent, hard-working, and talented people who make up the WPI campus community. Unfortunately, this kind of misogynistic thinking occurs far too often and not only did it appear in print, it now also exists on the Web, http://www.wpi.edu/News/TechNews/010214/thelittlethings.shtml
I strongly support freedom of the press and freedom of speech, yet I find myself angered and embarrassed by this juvenile article. The writers and editors of Tech News have a responsibility to the WPI community to provide sound and intelligent journalism. They have failed miserably with this column. The writer's narrow and stereotypical view of women is not disguised by his moronic attempt at humor.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is internationally respected for its high academic standards, rigorous programs, and intellectual community of students, faculty, and staff. The publication of this sort of idiocy in the campus paper harms not only those who read it, but, more importantly, the reputation WPI has built over its 136-year history.
One of the best resources for getting a sense of a college or university is its campus newspaper. It indicates the responsibility and intelligence of a student body, or in this case, the lack thereof. I can only imagine what prospective students and their parents will think of WPI when they read this article.
I hope the writers and staff of Tech News will take the time to carefully consider what they print in the future. There are plenty of thought-provoking and even humorous things to write about without stooping to the thoughtless degradation of members of our community.
Sincerely,
Michael Westfort
MSOIT graduate student
| 