We feel the need to address an issue, an issue that is better suited for the playgrounds of elementary schools where students haven’t quite learned about bullying. By the time we reach college, students should know the appropriate ways to handle conflicts.
We understand that last week’s issue of The Clock contained a letter to the editor and an editorial that many students at PSU did not agree with. That is ok. In fact, that is great. PSU is a community, one that consists of many different interests, upbringings and opinions. We respect this, and we appreciate that our university is as unique and socially diverse as it is.
Unfortunatley, many students who disagreed with the opinions expressed in The Clock did not respect the diversity of thought that PSU offers. It takes courage for someone to express their opinion, especially in a public outlet, such as The Clock.
It is important to remember that when The Clock receives a letter to the editor we will always print it. It doesn’t matter who writes it or if the staff members of our publication disagree/agree with the opinion. It will always run. The Clock also requires all letters to be signed. We won’t print an anonymous letter. This is to make sure that our readers understand that the views expressed in the letter are not necessarily the views of the paper.
With that being said, the student who wrote a letter to the editor with his opinion last week received messages via Facebook, referring to him as a “fat [explicative],” as well as various terms using homosexual orientation as degrading insults.
Also, many of our papers were discarded to keep others from reading what was published last issue. We understand that the individuals who did this disagreed with views expressed last week in The Clock, but throwing out our publication is more than close-minded and immature. It’s censorship and a violation of the first amendment rights of The Clock staff, as well as those who use The Clock as an outlet for their opinion. There are over 10,000 words printed in an issue of The Clock. A 500-word letter to the editor doesn’t even come close to making up the whole paper. If those individuals really felt as strongly about this issue as they had acted, then where is their letter to the editor this week?
Is it really necessary to verbally abuse one of the members of the PSU community, one of your peers, solely on a difference of opinion? Is it necessary to throw away hundreds of copies of a student publication that took many days and hours to put together? When we were five and someone told us that our Star Wars lunchbox was stupid, what did we do? Maybe we kicked them in the shins or threw rocks at them on the playground. But, we were five. We didn’t know any better. We’re now over the age of 18. We’re considered adults. And some of us are still kicking rocks.
PSU should be a forum open to discourse on certain controversial topics, a forum that all should be able to express their opinions without fear of degradation or harassment, no matter what your opinion is. Your peer expressed his opinion, and while some of you may not have agreed with what he had to say, he is still an equal and should be treated as one.
As we’ve learned since our days on the playground, there are healthier and more suitable ways of dealing with conflicts. For instance, writing a respectful letter to the editor in response or sitting down with your peer over coffee to discuss why you both feel the way that you do.
Remember, PSU is a diverse community, a melting pot of many different opinions and backgrounds. Respect each other’s opinions, and let your own opinion be heard. Nobody has the right to try to intimidate those who wish to state what’s on their minds.
-The Clock Staff