Letters to the Editor
By
After reading “Postcard from Istanbul” in the Sept. 17 issue, it came to our attention that it contains potentially upsetting and triggering material. Because we fully respect freedom of expression and open dialogue, it seems appropriate that we express our own concerns. While we understand and fully endorse the right of every student to speak and write freely, we question The Amherst Student’s decision to publish a piece that is misogynistic and devoid of meaningful sentiment. We would hope that free speech would raise the level of discourse on campus, rather than give voice to stereotypes. The Student has every right to publish this piece, and we have every right to reply by telling the Amherst community that we do not condone the ideas expressed therein.

Although it is possible that the article was written with satire in mind, the fact is that this sort of discourse does happen on campus, and it is often sincere. Regardless of the author’s intention, we must ask ourselves what message we send when the Amherst community (including professors, alumni, parents and prospective students) reads lines such as “…we all know the best way to get over somebody is to get under some body. I needed to fuck something.” in a student-run publication. The name of the paper is, after all, “The Amherst Student”—is this what we want people to associate with Amherst students? Is this what we want Amherst to be?

PAs are here to provide a safe space to discuss issues related to gender and sexual respect. We encourage anyone who would like to discuss this to talk to any one of us. We are available 24/7 by confidential cell phone (413-548-6798) and by email (peeradvocate@amherst.edu).

Dear Student editors,

I’m writing to provide a counterpoint to the charming and thoughtful letter from James C.N. ’10, a student studying abroad in Turkey this semester. James presents himself as a modern-day heir to Hunter S. Thompson: affably nihilistic, fueled by alcohol, frankly womanizing and (last but not least) racist. Our hero’s yarn begins as he ventures out into Istanbul, suitably painkiller addled; the tale continues, but I suppose you can read that yourself.

It should be obvious to any casual reader that something is very wrong with James’ attitude. He laughingly admits to being an alcoholic and a womanizer; he jokingly pops Vicodin; he makes frankly racist jokes; his perception of himself (as the “Edgy Young Journalist”) is, to say the least, twisted.

When he writes of Muslims that the traditional way to celebrate Ramadan is “surrounded by a dozen bottles of beer and a plate full of vomit,” does he imagine that Muslim students are laughing along? When he writes, “I needed to fuck something,” does he think that those among us who have been victims of those people who “needed to fuck something” will wink and roll our eyes? When he playfully dismisses his self-proclaimed alcoholism, does he think that those of us on campus who have battled with alcohol and alcoholics are chuckling and high-fiving?

Okay. James is in the wrong—no doubt about that. But perhaps the real culprits here are those among us who find this entertaining and humorous—those of us who encourage a mentality like this. Surely we are as much to blame as “James” for letting him get away with abusing elements of our community. It’s easy to hit those who won’t hit back, and it’s even easier to ignore this kind of bullying as harmless; but frankly, this endorsement is a little frightening. Imagine being on the other end of any one of these statements. I don’t mean to seem a killjoy, but I think there’s something more important at stake here.

Yours, with sincerity and rebuke,

Max Suechting ’11

Issue 05, Submitted 2008-10-01 00:47:13