To those in opposition to my recent election: thanks for all of the free publicity. I've never been so popular - I feel like the prom queen.
That's what's great about writing in America though - there are no "right" opinions. But sometimes the more outrageous and inciting your writing is, the more it's talked about, and in turn, the more it gets read.
Ann Coulter-like comment inserted here.
Recently, I've been highly criticized, and probably rightfully so. My right-winged "rants" have pissed off some single mothers and bastard children, some feminists and America's poor.
There are a lot of great things about being on The Spectrum staff - rather than drone on about the English credits writers can stockpile and the opportunities to make some "moolah," I figure it's best to show off the snazzy benefits of being part of the biggest student newspaper in New York state. Take that, Peter Scheck.
The Spectrum is a place where you can say whatever you want on the opinion page. Articles are reserved for factually based and attributed information. What makes us so unique is that we aren't spoon-fed our content by the Student Association or the Simpson administration, and yet we actually have sources backing up our information, and quotes supporting the opinions we print. Hey, we don't just regurgitate information like word-vomit without having silly things like sources.
Maybe I've insulted you in the past. I'd apologize, but I really could care less about offending the students who can't rebut my opinion in an intelligent way.
I have a whole year to lead this paper, and I'm really looking forward to it, mostly because of new and diverse staff that signs on to The Spectrum each semester. I'm consistently confronted by new opinions, some of which I don't agree with, but most of which are, at the very least, thought provoking.
After all, there are no "wrong" opinions - just ones that make people mad.
And in my experience as a journalist and as a student, the people who will try the hardest to take away your right to say what you feel are those people who can't make an intelligent argument, which actually uses facts to support their beliefs, not f-bombs.
Some people love this paper. Some people hate it. The great thing about is that you don't have to conform to succeed or be welcome here. Scientologists, wing nuts and circus folk are all welcome to contribute. We won't stone you if you think differently.
Though you'd have to be a moron to think we'd advocate throwing puppies off of cliffs.
On a college campus, there's room for all points of view. On The Spectrum staff, we encourage you to write the lesser-known or talked about viewpoint, because it can only lead to a readership expansion.
Consider this my acceptance speech: I get to lead a large newspaper for a year. We represent the student body and the UB community as a whole. Yet we are a paper that is independent from outside influences. There's nothing anyone can do about it except for my fellow staffers: Bill O'Reily, Hannity and Colmes.
If you don't like this paper, join our staff and change it for yourself. The only serious alterations we ever consider are those that arise from internal opinions - from the people who love and know this paper, know the rules of journalism, and can make an informed and logical decision about what's best for it. Not for people who want to silence viewpoints different from their own.
We might have a conservative rep, but that can change. And after all, we did endorse Obama - so we're not totally Fox News just yet.
Likewise, we might have an opinion page that's questionable to those who disagree with us, but that's what well-informed, credible My Turn columns are for. Despite our opinion page, we have the facts, and we have respect at UB and in the journalism community. The Spectrum editors and writers go far in the world of media, because we're able to see beyond our Facebook pages and silly sex lives. We report the news.
If you don't like this paper, join our staff and make a difference: sign up for ENG 395 section SPC. If you want to see this paper improve and you have some really great ideas, hop on board.
Change from within.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
